Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced Friday that Tyler Robinson, 22, had been arrested in connection with the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, just 33 hours after the shooting at Utah Valley University.
At a joint press conference with the FBI and local law enforcement, Cox said the breakthrough came after a family member tipped authorities that Robinson had confessed or implied involvement.
Cox described Robinson’s growing political passion and hostility toward Kirk, citing family interviews and Discord messages that showed planning, including hiding the rifle, monitoring the area, and engraving bullets. Authorities recovered a Mauser Model 98 .30-06 rifle; the bullets bore inscriptions like “Hey, fascist! Catch!” How Robinson obtained the gun remains unclear.
FBI Director Kash Patel also spoke at the press conference, delivering a detailed and impassioned account of the investigation that led to the arrest of Tyler Robinson, highlighting the swift coordination between federal, state, and local authorities that brought the case to a historic resolution in just 33 hours.
Patel emphasized the importance of partnerships and resources, as well as the professionalism of law enforcement teams involved in the operation.
“This is what happens when you let good cops be cops,” Patel said, opening his remarks. He went on to express gratitude to the Trump administration, noting that President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and the White House “have been so incredibly supportive with both resources and just personally to the FBI as a team. They had our backs the entire way.”
Patel stressed the speed and coordination of the investigation. “In 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie. Governor Cox, our partnership has been absolutely incredible these last few days,” he said. He highlighted the contributions of Utah’s state and local law enforcement: “Your state and local partners, your sheriffs, your DPS community has been unbelievably impressive in the hardest of times.”
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Providing a detailed timeline of the investigation, Patel recounted that Kirk was shot at 12:23 p.m. on Wednesday, with the first FBI agents arriving on the scene just 16 minutes later. “The FBI immediately launched fixed-wing assets… to transport personnel, specialty technicians, [and] hostage rescue teams,” he said. These assets were also used to move forensic evidence between Utah and FBI laboratories, including Quantico and the ATF.
Patel detailed the public-facing components of the investigation: “At my direction, the FBI released the first set of FBI photos of the suspect at 10 a.m. local time on 9/11. Then, shortly thereafter, the FBI reward of $100,000 was released at 10:45 a.m. local.” Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Patel arrived in Utah at 5:30 p.m. that same day, coordinating closely with state authorities. By 10 p.m., they had the suspect in custody.
“This would not have been possible without you, the media, and you, the public,” Patel said. “That’s why we went so public so fast, and we’re so transparent, and we’re committed to that transparency.”
Patel also emphasized the breadth of investigative work conducted during the intense 33-hour period.
"The crime scene,… it is a large crime scene," Patel explained. "State and local authorities, along with federal authorities, processed that crime scene quickly, and I even had the ability to walk through that crime scene and walk through the steps the suspect took to learn more about what was needed and what resources we needed… to create a full picture for the FBI and leadership back in Washington. Furthermore, thankfully to state and local partners, forensic evidence has been seized and continues to be garnered. Forensic evidence has already been evaluated at FBI laboratories in Quantico and state and local authorities here."
Not only did authorities process the crime scene swiftly, with forensic evidence promptly collected and analyzed, but the FBI field office also coordinated thousands of leads.
“Last night, we had a total of approximately [7,000 leads]… As of this morning, thanks to your great work, we have over 11,000 leads that were called in to the FBI, and we are running out every single lead that we can,” he said.
He underscored the historic nature of the operation and the role of strong law enforcement partnerships. “The arrest is a testament to the dedication of good law enforcement… and partnerships in law enforcement,” he said. “There is no better relationship for law enforcement than the FBI to partner with state and local authorities, and you’ve seen it here in these last few days.”
The left’s rhetoric killed Charlie Kirk, and the mainstream media won’t connect the dots. They’ll blame guns, not their own hate-filled propaganda that turned Tyler Robinson into a domestic terrorist. PJ Media fearlessly reports what the legacy media wants to hide. Support independent conservative journalism by joining PJ Media VIP with promo code FIGHT for 60% off. Get the truth the mainstream media buries. America depends on it!