Early Friday, President Trump announced that a suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk had been turned in by his own father. The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Utah student Tyler Robinson, had reportedly inscribed a bullet with the phrase, “Hey fascist! Catch!”
During a live interview on “Fox & Friends,” Trump expressed confidence in the suspect’s identity, stating that someone close to Robinson had turned him in. The president revealed that it was the suspect’s father, Matt, who had reported his son to law enforcement through a minister.
Robinson, who was later confirmed as the suspect, was arrested at 10 p.m. Thursday, approximately 33 hours after Kirk’s assassination. The suspect’s father, a reported veteran law enforcement officer, turned his son in after Robinson confessed to him.
Evidence against Robinson includes discord chats with his roommate, where he discussed a hidden rifle that was found near the location of Kirk’s assassination. Bullets found at the scene bore hateful messages, including one that read, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO” and the aforementioned “Hey fascist! Catch!”
Another bullet was found with the phrase “bella ciao” written on it, an Italian phrase meaning “goodbye, beautiful” that was used by those fighting the Nazis in World War II.
Robinson’s family resides in a six-bedroom home in Washington, Utah, over 250 miles from where Kirk was assassinated. The 22-year-old is accused of shooting Kirk, 31, from an elevated position about 200 yards from the tent where Kirk was speaking at the university’s Losee Center.
Initial reports described the suspect as a gunman wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a black vest, armed with a long rifle. He was wearing similar clothes when arrested, and owned a Dodge Challenger identical to the one the killer was seen arriving in.
Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and a father of two, was answering a question about mass shootings committed by transgender people at an outdoor event on the campus in Orem when he was hit by a single round.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Orem police, the Utah Department of Public Safety, and the Utah Valley University police, were involved in the manhunt.
Kirk leaves behind his wife, former Miss Arizona Erika Frantzve, and two young children. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described the incident as a political assassination and a dark day for the state and the nation.