Tyler Robinson, the man suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event at a Utah university, had eluded authorities for more than a day.
Here’s what we know about Robinson, how the shooting was carried out and how he was caught.
“Prior to the shooting, Suspect appears to walk with a stiff, right leg and at a relatively slow pace.
One of the individuals told ABC News that Robinson was not in class on the day of the Kirk shooting.
What Robinson neighbors said Neighbors of Robinson’s parents in Washington, Utah, described the Robinson family as loving and quiet.
For more than a day, Tyler Robinson, the man suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university event, had remained elusive.
But a sequence of events finally resulted in the 22-year-old Robinson being arrested after his father identified him from photos that were circulated by the authorities.
Many questions remain regarding the killing, which authorities have referred to as a “political assassination,” but information from authorities and people who know Robinson has started to piece together a picture of the suspected shooter.
What we know about Robinson, the shooting, and his capture is as follows.
Robinson’s capture.
In a Friday morning press conference, Utah Gov. In his introductory remarks, Spencer Cox said, “Good morning, gentlemen and ladies. We got him. “..”.
Cox claimed that Robinson’s father instructed him to turn himself in after recognizing his son in the distributed photos. According to officials, Robinson first refused but later changed his mind.
A youth pastor, who is also a U, was then called by the father. S. Marshals task force participant. The father was advised to keep Robinson where he was by the officer. After that, the FBI was informed of this information.
“They made the right decision,” Cox said, thanking Robinson’s family. “.”.
Cox said at the press conference that after identifying Robinson, police also spoke with his roommate, who provided them with a message that Robinson had sent to his roommate.
“These messages contained messages from the contact Tyler, indicating that a rifle needed to be retrieved from a drop point, leaving it in a bush,” Cox stated.
In addition, the messages mentioned engraving bullets, a scope, and the rifle’s uniqueness.
Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that the weapon is an older, towel-wrapped Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle that was imported. According to the sources, the firearm’s location seems to correspond with the suspect’s path.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, police apprehended Robinson within 33 hours of the shooting and arrived on the scene within 16 minutes.
According to the governor, “this is a very much an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to work with state and local authorities to develop the investigation to provide them the evidence they need for their ongoing prosecutions,” Patel stated.
What movements of the suspected shooter reveal.
Robinson arrived on campus at 8:29 a.m., according to Utah Valley University surveillance video footage that investigators examined, Cox said on Friday. M. ET, operating a gray Dodge Challenger on the morning of the shooting.
Cox said Robinson was dressed in a simple maroon T-shirt, light-colored shorts, light-colored shoes, and a black hat with a white logo.
On campus, Robinson changed into dark clothes, according to officials, and then changed back into the original attire following the shooting.
The suspect appeared to have a limp or other unusual gait on the video. According to law enforcement sources who spoke to ABC News, investigators think that’s because he concealed the rifle under his clothing.
“The suspect seems to walk slowly and with a stiff right leg prior to the shooting. Utah County’s affidavit stated that the suspect’s right leg’s bending appears to be limited.
The affidavit subsequently states that Robinson’s limp was “absent” as he got closer to the shooting position. “.”.
The sources stated that investigators think this is because the suspect was no longer hiding the gun in his clothes.
According to sources, they also think that when he ran from the scene, he did not have the weapon hidden in his clothes.
inscriptions on shell casings.
Additionally, Cox explained what was engraved on the casings that were discovered at the scene.
One of the three unfired casings said, “Hey fascist! CATCH!” and had three arrows pointing down, followed by an arrow symbol pointing up and then to the right.
One unfired casing said, “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!” as if referring to the Italian anti-fascist song that became popular after World War II. Another said, “If you read this, you are GAY Lmao.”. “.
The writings on the casings have unclear meanings. Whether the writings are intended to divert or divert investigators is also unclear.
Besides mentioning fascism, which Cox claimed “speaks for itself,” he didn’t explain what the other texts meant.
The suspect’s intentions are still unknown.
Before being identified, authorities and a former FBI agent had stated that they thought the subject was a college-aged person who appeared to be skilled with a powerful rifle and probably knew the layout of the university where the murder took place.
The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office’s special agent in charge, Robert Bohls, told reporters during a press conference Thursday morning that investigators think they have found the weapon used in what Utah’s governor described as a “political assassination” on Wednesday. “.
Our knowledge of Robinson.
“In recent years, Robinson has become more political,” Cox said at the press conference. “..”.
According to Cox, Robinson mentioned Kirk’s planned visit to Utah Valley University while having a dinner conversation with a family member. Cox said that one of the family members said Kirk was “full of hate and spreading hate,” as Robinson and the family members talked about why they didn’t like Kirk and his opinions.
According to officials, Robinson lived with his family in Washington County, Utah, and was not a student at Utah Valley University.
According to two people who know Robinson but asked not to be named, Robinson is currently enrolled at Dixie Technical College in Utah, a trade school where he was allegedly pursuing a career as an electrician.
One of the people told ABC News that on the day of the Kirk shooting, Robinson was not in class.
Robinson went to Pine View High School in St. Louis before Dixie. ABC News reviewed an online graduation video that showed George graduating in 2021. A university representative claims that he then spent one semester at Utah State University in 2021.
While describing Robinson as “friendly” but “a little more reserved,” a classmate who claims to have known him for years told ABC News that they are “stunned” to learn that he may have carried out this attack. They also said that they “never really heard him talk political.”. “..”.
According to the classmate, they never saw Robinson display any overt “hatred or malice towards other people.”. “..”.
Noting that they were not close friends, the classmate said, “I never heard him talk politically.”. “He never mentioned guns to me. “..”.
What the neighbors of Robinson said.
In Washington, Utah, Robinson’s parents’ neighbors characterized the Robinson family as quiet and affectionate.
According to Kristin Schwiermann, who lives close to the Robinsons, she was his childhood neighbor and the head custodian at Riverside Elementary, where he previously attended school.
“At that age, he was not as quiet as he is now, but he was very active, had a few friends at school, and stayed to himself mostly, but very, very smart,” she told ABC News. “.
“They just seem like a very hard-working, down-to-earth family,” she said, describing the Robinsons as “very loving” parents. “,”.
About ten years ago, Robinson was eager to make money and took on odd jobs like cleaning the yard and washing the car, according to neighbor Alenea Shaw. According to her, “He was just a cute little boy.”.
The family, she claimed, was solitary and not very gregarious.
She stated, “They were just very quiet,”.
The Robinson manhunt.
Before identifying Robinson, state and federal officials released video of the person of interest leaping from the roof of a campus building during a news conference Thursday evening.
The suspect was wearing “distinct clothing” that could aid in his identification, such as Converse sneakers, according to Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason.
According to him, the individual who was seen in the video leaping from the roof left a palm print and shoe impressions.
Mason stated at the press conference, “We are putting everything we have into this and we will catch this individual.”.
About 200 interviews had been conducted and over 7,000 tips and leads had been received by authorities, according to Cox.
The weapon is being examined at an FBI laboratory, according to Bohls. It is a powerful bolt-action rifle that was discovered abandoned in a wooded area close to Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem.
For the most cutting-edge forensic analysis, the recovered firearm and ammunition were to be transported by air to the FBI’s main lab in Quantico, Virginia, law enforcement sources told ABC News. Finding any latent DNA and fingerprints is the main goal, according to the sources.
According to Bohls, the investigators also gathered a shoe impression, a palm print, and forearm prints for examination.
Additionally, Mason stated that investigators are reviewing “good video footage” of the shooter, which they have utilized to monitor his movements both prior to and following the shooting.
After the press conference on Thursday, the Salt Lake City FBI released surveillance photos of the person of interest wanted in relation to the shooting. One of the people in the pictures appeared to be a white man dressed entirely in dark apparel, including a dark long-sleeved collarless shirt with what looked to be an American flag on the front. The man in the pictures is also sporting sunglasses and a dark ball cap.
The FBI declared that information that results in the suspect’s capture will be rewarded with $100,000.
Mason stated that detectives think the suspect got to the UVU campus at 11:52 a.m. A. 28 minutes prior to Kirk’s shooting, local time, Kirk was the co-founder and CEO of the conservative grassroots group Turning Point USA.
According to Mason, Kirk was addressing a crowd of roughly 3,000 people when the fatal bullet was fired from a building a considerable distance away. He didn’t say which building the gunman was firing from.
Mason stated, “We have monitored his movements on campus, passing through stairwells, climbing to the roof, and traversing the roof to the shooting site.”. “We were able to follow his movements after the shooting because he fled off campus into a neighborhood, jumped off the building, and moved to the opposite side of the building. “..”.
He claimed that after searching the neighborhood for the suspect, investigators spoke with neighbors who had doorbell cameras so they could conduct analysis.
According to Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent and ABC News contributor, the evidence that investigators have presented thus far depicts a suspect who meticulously planned the shooting, including throwing away the potential murder weapon in the process of fleeing.
Garrett stated, “He most likely did that [because] he didn’t want to be seen walking through a neighborhood, having a weapon, or running through a neighborhood.”.
The identification of the murderer’s palm print can also be useful, Garrett said.
Garrett remarked, “If he’s ever had a complete set of prints, where you print the entire hand, let’s say he’d been in the military or some government agency or a contractor, they might have those.”. “They might have those, but it’s unlikely. “,”.
This report was contributed to by Tonya Simpson, Lucien Bruggeman, Mike Levine, Laura Romero, and Megan Christie of ABC News.
