UPDATE 9/12/25 at 9:44 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been identified as Charlie Kirk’s shooter, confirming he is in police custody.
A law enforcement official announced the news on Friday, September 12, but could not share further information about the investigation.
Original story continues below:
President Donald Trump revealed Charlie Kirk’s shooter has been taken into custody.
“Essentially, somebody that was very close to him turned him in,” Trump, 79, said during a Fox News appearance on Friday, September 12, adding, “I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody.”
According to the president, more details about the arrest are expected “sometime later” on Friday.
“We had very good pictures but not great, not perfect,” Trump continued. “Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hm, that’s him.’”
Turning Point USA founder Kirk was fatally shot on Wednesday, September 10, while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” Turning Point USA shared in a statement on Wednesday.
FOX NEWS ALERT: @POTUS says authorities have Charlie Kirk’s assassin in custody and that someone close to the suspect helped turn him in. pic.twitter.com/G7wPwc26C9
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) September 12, 2025
Trump also spoke out in a social media post after Kirk’s death was confirmed.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” he wrote via his Truth Social platform. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
The FBI released photos of the believed person of interest on Thursday, September 11, offering a reward to anyone with information.
“We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. 1-800-CALL-FBI,” the FBI wrote via social media.
Trump’s Friday morning TV appearance comes hours after Kirk’s body was flown back to Arizona. Vice President JD Vance and members of the National Guard transported Kirk’s body via Air Force Two on Thursday.
Kirk’s wife, Erika Frantzve, and their two children were also on the flight. The late conservative political commentator’s funeral is expected to take place later this month, but further details have yet to be revealed.
Several celebrities have since spoken out in the wake of Kirk’s death.
“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” Jimmy Kimmel, for one, shared via Instagram. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
