OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:44 PM – Friday, September 12, 2025
22-year-old Tyler Robinson was identified by authorities as the sole suspect in the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Robinson is the accused assassin who fatally shot Kirk on Wednesday at a Utah Valley University Turning Point USA event — while speaking with students on the campus.
Robinson is believed to have carried out the attack from a rooftop roughly 200 yards away, equipped with a high-powered bolt-action rifle, with a single bullet hitting Kirk in the neck — leading to his death.
Robinson was taken into custody on September 12th, after Robinson’s father, Matt Robinson, reportedly recognized him in the released surveillance footage and contacted a family friend who informed the sheriff’s office.
Robinson previously registered to vote without choosing a party affiliation and did not cast a ballot in the two most recent elections. However, a family member told federal investigators that he had “become more political in recent years,” according to Utah Governor Spencer Cox during a Friday morning press conference.
The governor noted that the family member mentioned a recent gathering prior to the shooting, in which Robinson had mentioned Kirk’s upcoming appearance at Utah Valley University. The conversation revolved around “why they didn’t like [Kirk] and the viewpoints that he had.”
On Thursday night, to his father, Robinson “implied that he had committed the incident,” leading his father to reach out to a family friend who then informed the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, according to Cox.
Robinson grew up in Washington, Utah, earning a scholarship to Utah State University after graduating from high school. He ended up dropping out of the university after just one semester. Recovered video footage captured the moment Robinson read his scholarship offer letter, seemingly recorded by his mother.
Robinson’s hometown is around three-and-a-half hours away from Utah Valley University, where he was still believed to be living.
Parents Matt Robinson and his wife, Amber Jones Robinson, long-term residents of Washington, Utah, reportedly own a six-bedroom home valued at around $634,400. Amber frequently posts about her family on Facebook, sharing a previous visit to the University of Utah in 2021.
“It was great to get some one on one time with this boy,” she wrote about the trip at the time. “Plus Agie ice cream! I didn’t know that was a thing, but it’s great!”
Family photos have since been archived, capturing his middle-class upbringing and featuring many images of him with his siblings and mother.
Patriarch Matt Robinson was previously reported by a number of outlets to be a “27-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department,” but the Sheriff’s Office has since clarified that this is not the case.
“You may be seeing on the news that a young man named Tyler Robinson has been arrested in connection with Charlie Kirk’s death. The suspect, Tyler Robinson, was arrested in Washington County last night and he has been transported to Utah County. The Utah County Attorney’s Office has jurisdiction over the case,” the Washington County Attorney’s Office wrote.
“The individual arrested is NOT related to Washington County law enforcement!” the office added. “There are multiple people with the same names. We thank our local and federal law enforcement officials for their coordination in the investigation and arrest.”
Robinson also has two younger brothers, Austin and Logan, according to Amber’s prior Facebook posts celebrating their first day of school. The siblings appear to be a few years younger than Tyler.
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