Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Tyler Robinson in Custody

Utah authorities and the FBI announced Friday that they had apprehended the suspect in the assassination of Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, 31, was fatally shot Wednesday at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

Tyler Robinson, 22, confessed to a family member that he had shot Kirk, Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference before adding that the suspect had been booked in a Utah County jail.

"We got him," Cox said. "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.

"This information was relayed to the Utah County Sheriff's Office and scene investigators at Utah Valley University. This information was also conveyed to the FBI."

The governor said no additional arrests were anticipated but the investigation continued.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Robinson was taken into custody at about 10 p.m. local time Thursday.

"This is what happens when you let good cops be cops," Patel said. "The FBI and our partners are proud to stand here today together to bring justice to the family of Charlie Kirk and honor his memory."

The FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety on Thursday night released four new images of the person of interest in the fatal shooting of Kirk the previous day.

Cox said investigators reviewed additional video footage from university surveillance and identified Robinson arriving on the college campus in a gray Dodge Challenger at approximately 8:29 a.m., Wednesday.

Robinson was observed on video in a maroon T-shirt, light-colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo, and light-colored shoes.

"When encountered in person by investigators in Washington County on September 12, in the early morning hours, Robinson was observed in consistent clothing with those surveillance images," Cox said.

The governor said investigators had interviewed a Robinson family member who stated the suspect had become more political in recent years.

Robinson’s roommate directed investigators to social media platform Discord, on which the suspect posted messages that included ones about a rifle and the need to retrieve it from a drop point.

Cox said law enforcement officers found three unfired casings with the rifle, and that fired casings at the crime scene included inscriptions.

"Inscriptions on a fired casing read, 'Notices, bulges, OWO, what's this question mark?'" Cox said. "Inscriptions on the three unfired casings read. 'Hey, fascist! Catch!" followed by arrow symbols including up arrow, right arrow, three down arrows. Cox said that "a second unfired casing read, 'Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao.’ And a third unfired casing read,’If you read this, you are gay LMAO.'"

Patel said more than 11,000 leads concerning the shooting had been called into the FBI.

"And we are running out every single lead that we can. Every one of those leads will be run out," he added.

Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith commended the various law enforcement departments for working together on the investigation.

"As you know, it's been a vast, complicated and a very, very fast-paced investigation," Smith said. "You're looking at people standing up here who are running on … if they got an hour's sleep in the last couple of days, they're probably lucky. It has been very taxing.

"It has been so impressive. Speaking on behalf of the local law enforcement, to see the cooperation that ... that we have seen in this type of case across the state, sheriffs, chiefs, our state partners have stepped up and have come to the call on anything that we needed."