NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
OREM, Utah – Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a Utah Valley University event on Wednesday afternoon.
Kirk was speaking on campus when a single shot was fired from the roof of a nearby building, which killed the conservative icon. Authorities announced on Friday that a suspect had been arrested.
Here’s a timeline of events leading up to the assassination and arrest:
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SUSPECT TYLER ROBINSON NAMED, MUGSHOTS RELEASED
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)
Wednesday, Sept. 10
11:52 a.m. MT – Suspect arrives at Utah Valley University
Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said during a news conference on Thursday that the suspect arrived at Utah Valley University (UVU) at 11:52 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Sept. 10. The suspect then went to the Losee Center on campus.
“Starting at 11:52 a.m. this subject arrived on campus. Shortly away from campus, we have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof across the roof to the shooting location,” Mason said.
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
12 p.m. – Start of event
TPUSA’s event at UVU’s courtyard featuring Kirk kicked off. A massive crowd formed around a white tent with text reading “THE AMERICAN COMEBACK” and “PROVE ME WRONG.” An event organizer told Fox News Digital that around 1,400 people RSVP’d for the event.
12:23 p.m. – Shot fired
University spokeswoman Ellen Treanor told Fox News Digital that the shooting began at 12:23 p.m. and came from a building located around 200 yards from the speaker. Kirk was answering a question from an individual in the audience when a shot was fired, hitting him in the neck. Kirk was transported to a local hospital.
Students and people attending the event can be seen rushing to leave the area. The shooter jumped down a side of the building and went into a nearby neighborhood, officials said.
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: DISPATCH AUDIO REVEALS SUSPECT IN BLACK TACTICAL GEAR, CARRYING LONG GUN
12:23-12:30 p.m. – Campus is cleared
UVU said police went “building to building” escorting students and staff off campus grounds.
The campus was immediately evacuated and locked down. Classes were suspended through Sept. 14.
According to a school spokesperson, UVU Police, in conjunction with the Orem Police Department, Utah Department of Public Safety and the FBI, started investigating the shooting.
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION WITNESSES DESCRIBE MINIMAL SECURITY, HORRIFYING SHOOTING
12:53 p.m. – FBI Director Kash Patel said agents responding
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents responded quickly to the scene.
“We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” Patel said. “Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
PHOTO GALLERY: CHARLIE KIRK THROUGH THE YEARS
Shortly after the shooting, UVU announced that a suspect was in custody, but did not publicly identify the suspect.
Shortly after the initial announcement, a UVU spokesperson told Fox News Digital the suspect who was initially in custody had since been released.
1:40 p.m. – President Donald Trump confirms Kirk is dead
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SUSPECT EVADES MANHUNT AS INVESTIGATORS ANALYZE SECURITY FOOTAGE
4:21 p.m. – Patel announces another suspect in custody
“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” Patel wrote in an update on X. “Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with the FBI. We will provide updates when able.”
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
5:59 p.m. – Patel announces suspect released
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” Patel wrote in a post on X.
Thursday, Sept. 11
7:15 a.m. MT – FBI, Utah police hold news conference on manhunt
Investigators said they had obtained security camera video from the UVU campus showing a suspect dressed in all black.
Robert Bohls, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office, spoke at the event alongside Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason.
“After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building and fled, off of the campus and into a neighborhood,” Mason said.
VIDEO SHOWS MOMENTS BEFORE ASSASSINATION OF TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER CHARLIE KIRK
Law enforcement tapes off an area after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot at Utah Valley University, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Authorities recover suspected murder weapon
Bohls said they recovered what they believe to be the gun used to assassinate Kirk.
The weapon “is a high-powered bolt action rifle. That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. So the FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon. Investigators have also collected footwear, the impression of a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis,” Bohls said.
“We are not sure how far he has gone,” Bohls added about the assassin.
Investigators added that they believe Kirk’s killer is “of college age.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
9:48 a.m. – FBI releases photos of person of interest
“We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” the FBI’s Salt Lake City office wrote on X.
10:44 a.m. – FBI offers reward for help cracking case
The FBI said in a post on X that it is offering a reward of up to $100,000 “for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
Friday, Sept. 12
8 a.m. ET – Trump announces suspect in custody
In a First on Fox announcement, Trump said that a suspect had been arrested.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.”
“Everyone did a great job. We worked with the local police, the governor, everybody did a great job,” Trump added.
9:35 a.m. – Suspect identified
Sources told Fox News that the suspect had been identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident.
The booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspected in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
10:15 a.m. – Officials announce ‘we got him’
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference Friday that the suspect was in custody.
“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 Sept. 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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time Thursday, less than 34 hours after the assassination.
“The suspect was apprehended in historic time period,” he said.
Cox said that charges are coming soon for Robinson.
“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 after the assassination.
“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.”
10:45 a.m. – Utah State University confirms connection
“Utah State University confirms that Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested in the killing of Charlie Kirk, briefly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021,” the school said in a statement.
“We can also confirm that he was a pre-engineering major and took classes consistent with that major for his one semester,” the university added.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13-14
Authorities revealed Robinson’s 22-year-old transgender roommate and romantic partner is cooperating with law enforcement. The individual has not been identified by authorities and has not been charged with a crime.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, a relative of Robinson’s roommate revealed the individual is in the process of transitioning from male to female.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital her relative began to act differently when he turned 18.
“He hates conservatives and Christians,” the relative said. “He hated us. He was not raised that way, but he, over the years, has become really detached [and] been radicalized.”
Tuesday, Sept. 16 – Robinson faces charges
Investigators reveal a mountain of evidence against Robinson, including alleged text messages showing Robinson admitting to carrying out Kirk’s assassination and how his family connected the dots that their son may be the shooter.
In a series of court filings released on Tuesday, prosecutors revealed Robinson’s parents reportedly recognized him from surveillance video after the shooting and confronted their son.
“Robinson’s father reported that when his wife showed him the surveillance image of the suspected shooter in the news, he agreed that it looked like their son,” prosecutors wrote.
CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON FACES DEATH PENALTY AS CHARGES FORMALLY ANNOUNCED
Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, appears by camera before 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, for his initial court appearance in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton/Pool via Deseret News)
The realization resulted in Robinson’s father confronting him and ultimately convincing him to surrender to authorities.
“As they discussed the situation, Robinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it,” prosecutors wrote. “When asked why he did it, Robinson explained there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate.”
Authorities also pointed to text messages Robinson allegedly sent after the shooting, where he allegedly admitted, “I had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
In the messages, Robinson allegedly revealed he had been planning the attack for “a bit over a week,” while explaining to his romantic partner how he stashed the murder weapon. Robinson also reportedly urged his lover to remain silent if questioned by police and delete messages between the pair.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced Robinson is formally charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and one count of committing a violent offense in front of children. Gray also filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty, resulting in Robinson being held in jail without bail.
Just hours later, Robinson appeared virtually for his first court appearance, where a judge read through the charges and mentioned the prosecution’s intent to seek the death penalty.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Robinson, who did not enter a plea, looked stoic during the hearing and only spoke to state his name to the judge. He was seen wearing what was described as a “restrained garment,” which the Washington County Sheriff told Fox News is a “suicide watch smock, designed not to tear.”
The judge also determined Robinson would need a court-appointed attorney and set his next court date for Sept. 29, which will also be held virtually.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
