President Donald Trump announced that the shooting suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death is in custody.
Here are the latest updates for Friday, Sept. 12, 2025:
Mugshot released of Tyler Robinson
10:55 a.m. ET: Officials released a mugshot of Tyler Robinson, the shooting suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death.
Utah governor says Kirk assassination suspect is believed to have acted alone, investigation ongoing
10:45 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox says shooting suspect Tyler Robinson is believed to have acted alone, and the Charlie Kirk investigation is ongoing despite Robinson’s arrest.
FBI Director Kash Patel shares timeline of investigation
10:30 a.m. ET: The first FBI agents arrived on the scene at Utah Valley University some 16 minutes after Kirk was shot on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said at the news conference.
The bureau released the first photos of the suspect on Thursday morning, followed by the announcement of a cash reward and then the release of video of the suspect climbing down from the roof of a campus building and running away.
“Just last night, the suspect was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time,” Patel announced.

Skyler Baird described the moment Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a university event in Utah. President Trump told Fox News the suspect has been arrested.
Utah Governor says Kirk’s assassination ‘is an attack on all of us’
10:26 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said some people have asked why there have been so many resources dedicated to investigating Kirk’s killing when there’s violence around the country, but the governor said it is “much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us.”
The Republican said Kirk’s killing is “an attack on the American experiment” and values, and “cuts to the very foundation of who we are.”
Details of messages on bullet casings revealed
10:25 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that bullet casings discovered by authorities had several inscriptions engraved on them, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said. The casing that had been fired read: “notices bulges OWO what’s this?”
- Cox said there were three unfired casings:
- One read, “hey fascist! catch!” with an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols.
- Another one read: “oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao,” Cox said.
- The third fired casing read: “if you read this you are gay lmao.”
Utah governor says Kirk assassination suspect indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting
10:15 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox opened the news conference on the latest developments in Charlie Kirk’s assassination with that statement.
Cox told reporters that Kirk assassination suspect Tyler Robinson indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting.
The president talked about learning the news of Kirk’s assassination
9:50 a.m. ET: Near the end of his Fox News interview, President Donald Trump said he’d been holding a meeting about building the new White House ballroom when his aides interrupted.
“They came in and they said, ‘Charlie Kirk is dead.’ I didn’t know what they meant. I said, ‘What do you mean, dead?’” Trump said.
“‘Charlie Kirk was shot.’ And they thought it was dead because it was so horrific.”
Trump said he swiftly ended his meeting. “I just told these people, “Get out, you gotta go.”
Suspect in custody in connection with Charlie Kirk shooting is 22-year-old from Utah, AP source says
9:25 a.m. ET: The suspect in custody in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a 22-year-old from Utah, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
A news conference is scheduled with the latest on Charlie Kirk investigation
9 a.m. ET: State and federal officials in Utah are planning to hold a news conference on the investigation.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls are expected to attend.
Side-by-side image of shooting suspect Tyler Robinson (L) and Charlie Kirk (R) (FOX Television Stations)
Trump says Charlie Kirk shooting suspect in custody
8:15 a.m. ET: Trump confirmed the news during a Friday morning interview with FOX & Friends.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody, right in custody. Everyone did a great job,” Trump said.
“I just heard about it five minutes before I walked in. As I’m walking in, they said, ‘Looking real good.’ They have the person that they wanted.”
Charlie Kirk murder suspect arrested, Trump says
On FOX & Friends, President Trump broke the news of an arrest in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Sources told FOX News Friday that the suspected shooter was taken into custody in Southern Utah.
Federal investigators and state officials on Thursday had released photos and a video of the person they believe is responsible. Kirk was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem.
More than 7,000 leads and tips had poured in, officials said. Authorities have yet to publicly name the suspect or cite a motive in the killing, the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States.
Video shows alleged gunman fleeing the scene
Dig deeper:
Law enforcement showed new video during a news conference on Thursday evening showing the alleged gunman fleeing from the scene after Kirk was shot.
In the video, a person wearing dark clothing is seen running across a rooftop and then climbing down the side. He is then seen running away from the scene.
Who was Charlie Kirk?
The backstory:
Kirk was the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA. Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government.
Kirk appeared alongside Trump on stage at political events, and was also a frequent commentator on Fox News, CNBC, and FOX Business News. He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Kirk played a major role in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He was credited with turning out the younger vote for Trump.