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NEED TO KNOW
- Tyler Robinson, 22, from Utah, was taken into custody Friday, Sept. 12, in connection with the shooting death of Charlie Kirk
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference Friday that Robinson had grown increasingly political in recent years, and that he described Kirk as being “full of hate”
- Inscriptions on bullet casings allegedly bore political messages, Cox said
New details are emerging about the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination.
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man who is in custody in connection with the death of the right-wing activist, had become “more political in recent years,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 12.
Cox relayed the account of a family member, who said that during a family dinner prior to the shooting, Robinson had mentioned that Kirk was coming to Utah Valley University.
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” the governor said, adding that the suspect said that “Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
Kirk, 31, was shot during a Turning Point USA rally at the university in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
Authorities believe the suspect fired from the roof of the student services building 200 yards away from the event while Kirk was speaking.
After an intense 33-hour manhunt, authorities took Robinson into custody in St. George, Utah, on Thursday night, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Cox said unfired casings found at the scene allegedly belonging to Robinson were engraved with anti-fascist messages. No inscriptions referenced transgender issues, contrary to an early, erroneous law-enforcement bulletin.
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty (2)
One said, “Hey fascist, catch,” Cox said, noting that it had an arrow symbol pointing up, one to the right and three pointing down.
Another unfired casing had an inscription that said, “If you read this you are gay lmao.”
Authorities found messages on the Discord app allegedly sent by Robinson about how he needed to “retrieve a rifle from a drop point,” Cox said.
Utah County Sheriff’s Office
After the shooting, authorities released photos of the suspect wearing a black shirt with a logo, dark-colored hat and sunglasses.
A family member of Robinson’s reached out to a family friend saying that Robinson had “confessed to them or implied” that he’d committed the shooting, Cox said at the press conference.
Robinson’s father recognized his son in pictures authorities had distributed of him after the shooting and urged him to turn himself in, official said.
Videos taken by rally attendees showed what appeared to be a figure in black lying on the roof before the shooting.
The FBI released surveillance footage showing a figure in black running across the roof, climbing down from the building and then dropping to the ground before walking quickly toward a wooded area off campus.
The FBI said it found a high-powered, bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in the shooting.
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A forearm imprint, a footwear print and a palm imprint were found on the roof of the building.
Cox later added authorities don’t have any information that might lead to any additional arrests.