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Charlie Kirk's suspected killer arrested after confessing to father | Charlie Kirk's suspected killer arrested after confessing to father |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Utah governor details how Charlie Kirk murder suspect apprehended | Utah governor details how Charlie Kirk murder suspect apprehended |
A 22-year-old from Utah has been arrested over the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while on stage at a university event earlier this week. | A 22-year-old from Utah has been arrested over the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while on stage at a university event earlier this week. |
Tyler Robinson was taken into custody late on Thursday, after a 33-hour manhunt that ended after his father helped persuade him to surrender to police. | |
His arrest was first announced by US President Donald Trump, who called for the suspect to face the death penalty. | |
The killing of Kirk, who was shot while debating students on Wednesday, has shocked Americans and laid bare the country's sharp partisan divisions. | |
Investigators said at a news conference on Friday that the suspect had confessed to his father and said he would rather take his own life than surrender. The father then called a youth pastor who is a family friend. | |
Both men tried to calm the suspect down, police said. The pastor, who also serves as a court security officer, later called the US Marshals, who detained the suspect at around 22:00 local time on Thursday. | |
Utah's Governor Spencer Cox said surveillance images showed Mr Robinson arriving on the campus of Utah Valley University around four hours before a shot rang out, killing Kirk and sending students running for cover. | |
Cox told journalists that when Mr Robinson was taken into custody, he was wearing clothing similar to what was seen on CCTV cameras at the scene of the shooting. | |
The governor added that investigators had interviewed a family member, who said the suspect had become more political in recent years. | |
Cox said the family member had spoken of a recent incident when Mr Robinson had mentioned that Kirk was coming to Utah and that he "was full of hate and spreading hate". | |
BBC reports from Utah home linked to Charlie Kirk shooting suspect | BBC reports from Utah home linked to Charlie Kirk shooting suspect |
Cox said investigators had also spoken to a roommate of the suspect who had shown them exchanges of messages with an account named "Tyler" on the messaging app Discord. | |
The messages referred to a need to retrieve a rifle from "a drop point" and the firearm being left in a bush, wrapped in a towel. | |
The FBI said on Thursday that they had found the suspected weapon - an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt action rifle - wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near campus. | |
Cox told reporters that inscriptions had been found engraved on casings recovered with the rifle, which had a scope mounted on top of it. | Cox told reporters that inscriptions had been found engraved on casings recovered with the rifle, which had a scope mounted on top of it. |
The inscriptions included "hey fascist! CATCH!" and "O Bella ciao, Bella ciao". | |
"Bella ciao" means "goodbye beautiful" in Italian. It is also the title of a song dedicated to the Italian resistance that fought against the occupying troops of Nazi Germany. | |
Utah's governor said he was not aware of any potential further arrests in the investigation. | |
State prosecutors said they planned to file formal charges against Mr Robinson on Tuesday. | |
He is accused of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and felony discharge of a firearm, according to a Utah County Sheriff inmate booking sheet obtained by the BBC. | |
Students at Utah Valley University told the BBC they were relieved to hear of the arrest. | |
The campus has been closed since the shooting on Wednesday afternoon - with yellow tape and police vehicles blocking much of the school. | |
"He was apprehended in Washington County, which is where I'm from," said first-year student McKinley Shinkle. "I just feel deeply ashamed." | "He was apprehended in Washington County, which is where I'm from," said first-year student McKinley Shinkle. "I just feel deeply ashamed." |
"I'm definitely relieved," added McKinley's cousin Anthony. "I'm just anxious now to hear his motives and why this happened." | "I'm definitely relieved," added McKinley's cousin Anthony. "I'm just anxious now to hear his motives and why this happened." |
Public records viewed by the BBC suggest Mr Robinson had registered as an unaffiliated - or nonpartisan - voter in Utah in the past. Matthew Carl Robinson, the suspect's father, and Amber Denise Robinson, the suspect's mother, are registered Republicans, state records show. | |
Voting records indicate that he did not vote in the last presidential election, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner. He was not old enough to vote in 2020. | |
The suspect lives in St George, Utah, near Zion National Park, about 250 miles (400km) south-west of the campus where Kirk was shot. | The suspect lives in St George, Utah, near Zion National Park, about 250 miles (400km) south-west of the campus where Kirk was shot. |
He is a third-year student in an electrical apprenticeship programme at Dixie Technical College in south-west Utah, where he lived, a spokesperson for Utah Valley University (UVU) told the BBC. | |
Social media accounts indicate Mr Robinson's father runs a kitchen countertop and cabinet installation business, while his mother is a social worker. The family is Mormon and active in the local church. |