Orem, UTAH (FOX) — Police have arrested a suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus earlier this week.
Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was sitting under a tent around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday, debating with students on hot-button current affairs issues, when a single shot rang out. Video from the scene shows him being struck in the neck before he slumped out of his chair.
He had been invited to speak at Utah Valley University by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA, a national conservative student group he founded.
Witnesses screamed in horror and fled for cover after the bullet struck Kirk in the neck. He was rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
Another video circulating online appears to show a dark-clad figure on a rooftop. Authorities said the gunshot came from about 200 yards away, likely from a perch atop the Losee Center building, which is on the opposite side of the plaza from where Kirk was speaking.
Investigators recovered a “high-powered, bolt-action rifle” along the route the suspect is believed to have used to escape, according to FBI Salt Lake City Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls.
The FBI released images of a man in black they were calling a “person of interest” in connection with the shooting. Bohls said they also found a palm print, footprint, and imprint from a forearm.
Fox News Digital witnessed investigators collecting a surveillance camera from the side of a home on a street adjacent to the campus.
The homeowner said the camera recorded someone running through backyards after the shooting.
UPDATE:
Police have arrested a suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus earlier this week, identified by sources as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident.
Details of messages on bullet casings revealed
Bullet casings discovered by investigators had several inscriptions engraved on them, 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.”
Governor says Kirk’s assassination ‘is an attack on all of us’
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.”
FBI Director Patel shares timeline of investigation
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 a 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.
The booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
