Tyler Robinson: The Suspect in Charlie Kirk’s Shooting
OREM, Utah — The suspect in Charlie Kirk’s shooting, Tyler Robinson, is a 22-year-old native of Utah who authorities say had allegedly criticized the conservative influencer in a recent conversation and was living with his family at the time of the shooting.
Robinson, of Washington, Utah, was arrested late Thursday on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice, all felonies, according to a probable cause statement filed in court and released Friday. A judge ordered that he be held without bail.
Here’s what we know about Tyler Robinson:
Do police know the motive in the shooting?
Investigators have not publicly identified a motive. Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters that a family member interviewed by law enforcement said Robinson had recently mentioned Kirk’s appearance at Utah Valley University, where he was shot on Tuesday, at a recent dinner.
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had,” Cox said. Robinson had also become more political in recent years, the family member told investigators.
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This photo released by the Utah Governor’s Office on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025 shows Tyler Robinson. (Utah Governor’s Office via AP)
AP
Robinson does not appear to have any criminal history, according to state records reviewed by Reuters. He was a registered voter but was not affiliated with a political party, according to state voter records.
Records show he was an “inactive” voter, which means he had not cast a ballot in recent elections and had not responded to a mailing from the county clerk’s office.
Did he attend Utah Valley?
Other details about Robinson’s life were still emerging on Friday.
An honor roll student in high school who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests, he was admitted to Utah State in 2021 on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video on a family member’s social media account.
In a video posted by his mother on Facebook, Robinson can be seen reading aloud from a letter offering him a four-year scholarship from Utah State University, as she cheered. Another post said Robinson had earned a score of 34 on the ACT college entrance exam, which would put him in the top 1% of test takers, according to the Princeton Review test preparation company.
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He attended for only one semester, according to a university spokesperson.
Robinson is currently enrolled as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.
What do we know about his family?
He has two younger brothers, according to his parents’ Facebook posts. His mother is a social worker at a nonprofit health care company, while his father’s occupation was not immediately clear.
The family lives in a suburb of St. George, a city in the southern part of the state about a 3½ hour drive from the Utah Valley University campus where authorities say Robinson shot and killed Kirk.
His mother’s Facebook posts over the years — most of which were deleted on Friday — mostly doted on her family: documenting trips to Alaska, the Caribbean and Disneyland; celebrating school plays, Halloween costumes and adopted pet rabbits; expressing pride as the three boys moved up in school. None of the posts appeared political in any way.
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Other posts show Robinson and his brothers occasionally with guns, though that is not uncommon in a state with permissive firearms laws.
“Driving away without him was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do in a long time,” his mother wrote in one post about helping him move to college in 2021. “He’s so excited to start his journey and it’s going to be so amazing for him!”
Who turned in Tyler Robinson?
On Thursday evening
