President Donald Trump announced Friday on “FOX & Friends” that an arrest was made in the manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s assassin. “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody” Trump said.
Police have arrested a suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus earlier this week – identified by sources as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident.
Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was sitting under a tent around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday, debating with students on hot-button current affairs issues, when a single shot rang out. Video from the scene shows him struck in the neck before he slumped out of his chair.
He had been invited to speak at Utah Valley University by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA, a national conservative student group he founded.
“I think with a high-degree of certainty, we have him,” President Donald Trump revealed on “FOX & Friends” Friday morning. He added that, “essentially, someone who knew him turned him in.”
“I’ve heard people say, ‘why are we so invested in this?’ There’s violence happening all across our country, and violence is tragic everywhere,” Cox added. “And every life taken is a child of God who deserves our love and respect and dignity.
“This is certainly about the tragic death, assassination, political assassination of Charlie Kirk. But it is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us,” Cox continued. “It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been and who we could be in better times.
“Political violence is different than any other type of violence for lots of different reasons. One, because in the very act that Charlie championed of expression, that freedom of expression that is enshrined in our founding documents. In having his life taken in that very act makes it more difficult for people to feel like they can share their ideas, that they can speak freely,” Cox also said. “We will never be able to solve all the other problems, including the violence problems that people are worried about if we can’t have a clash of ideas safely and securely. Even, especially, especially those ideas with which you disagree. That’s why this matters so much.”
Utah State University announced Friday that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect arrested in the killing of Charlie Kirk, “briefly attended” classes there for one semester in 2021.
Robinson was a pre-engineering major and took classes consistent with that major for his one semester, Fox News Digital learned.
Kirk, a conservative activist, was shot and killed on Wednesday at Utah Valley University during the first stop of Turning Point USA’s “The American Comeback Tour.”
The tour was scheduled to head to Utah State University later this month.
“Utah State University officials have received several messages from alumni and students who are concerned about the Turning Point USA event, which will be hosted on campus by a student club on Sept. 30,” the school said Friday.
“Universities play a unique role in the discovery, expansion, and dissemination of knowledge by fostering scientific exploration, free inquiry, and a robust exchange of ideas,” it added. “Free inquiry is the cornerstone of this pursuit of knowledge, and safeguarding an open environment for free expression is paramount to Utah State University fulfilling its mission.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that charges are coming soon for Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old arrested following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“There is one person responsible for what happened here, and that person is now in custody and will be charged soon and will be held accountable,” Cox said.
Cox said a roommate of Robinson shared with investigators, “messages affiliated with the contact Tyler stating a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush.”
Police had announced earlier this week that a bolt-action rifle was recovered in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting at Utah Valley University.
“Messages from the contact Tyler also mentioned that he had changed outfits,” Cox said.
Cox noted that when Robinson had “different clothing” on when he was first spotted on campus and then changed clothing on the roof.
According to the governor, Robinson “then changed back into that clothing at some point” so that when he was apprehended, “the clothing matched the clothing he had on before the shooting here at UVU.”
FBI Director Patel pays tribute to Charlie Kirk, says ‘I’ll see you in Valhalla’
FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday, “To my friend Charlie Kirk: Rest now, brother. We have the watch and I’ll see you in Valhalla.”
Patel said the investigation remains ongoing following the arrest of suspect Tyler Robinson.
“As the governor said, and we will continue to work with state and local authorities to develop the investigation, to provide them the evidence they need for their ongoing prosecutions. And we will be here to answer every call they absolutely have, as long as it takes, for as long as we need to find and apprehend whatever suspects were involved in this crime,” Patel added.
Patel noted that as of Friday morning, 11,000 leads were called in to the FBI.
We have made historic progress for Charlie,’ FBI director says
Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital
FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday following the arrest of the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination that, “In 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie.”
“I want to express my deep gratitude to President Trump, the vice president, and the entire White House who have been so incredibly supportive with both resources and just personally to the FBI as a team,” Patel added. “They had our backs the entire way. And I just want to express my gratitude for giving us the resources we need to operate in this space to bring this sort of justice at this sort of speed.”
“A case like this cannot be solved, cannot be brought without partnering with your state and local authorities,” Patel also said.
Patel noted that more than 11,000 leads were called in to the FBI, as of Friday morning.
Utah Gov. Cox says ‘we got him’
Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested in Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that authorities have captured the suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“We got him,” Cox said. “On the evening of September 11, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.”
“Investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson who stated that Robinson had become more political in recent years,” Cox continued. “The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to September 10, and in that conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had.” Kirk was shot and killed on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at Utah Valley University.
State, federal officials to provide update after Trump announces arrest
Charlie Kirk appears at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, FBI Director Kash Patel and other state and federal officials will soon hold a news conference after President Donald Trump announced an arrest in the manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s assassin.
Kirk was fatally shot on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Earlier on “FOX & Friends,” Trump said that he thinks with “a high degree of certainty” that authorities have a suspect in custody.
President Donald Trump said Friday on “Fox & Friends” that he hopes Charlie Kirk’s assassin gets the death penalty.
“I hope he’s going to be found guilty, I would imagine. And I hope he gets the death penalty,” Trump said. “What he did, Charlie Kirk was the finest person, he didn’t deserve this. He worked so hard and so well. Everybody liked him.”
Trump made the remarks after announcing an arrest was made in the manhunt for Kirk’s assassin.
The president said, “essentially somebody that was very close” to the suspect turned him in.
“Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘hmm, that’s him.’ And essentially went to the father, went to a U.S. marshal who was fantastic, by the way, and the person was involved with law enforcement, but was a person of faith, a minister, and brought him to a U.S. Marshal who was fantastic and the father convinced the son, this is it,” Trump said.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” Trump announced Friday on “Fox & Friends.”
“Everyone did a great job. We worked with the local police, the governor, everybody did a great job,” Trump added.
Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was sitting under a tent around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday, debating with students on hot-button current affairs issues, when a single shot rang out.
Video from the scene shows him struck in the neck before he slumped out of his chair. He had been invited to speak at Utah Valley University by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA, a national conservative student group he founded.
