Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect in Custody, Bullet Case Engravings Revealed

A suspect has been arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, officials said Friday morning. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the suspect had been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22.

Cox said Robinson resides in Southern Utah and confessed to his father.

Two federal law enforcement sources told CBS News that Robinson's father saw the photos released by authorities and confronted his son. Robinson admitted to being the person in the photos and his father encouraged him to turn himself in, the sources said. Robinson responded to his father, saying he would rather die by suicide than turn himself in, prompting his father to call a youth pastor close to the family, the sources said. The pastor and Robinson's father tried to calm him, according to the sources.

The pastor, who is also a court security officer, also called the U.S. Marshals Service, which arrived and detained Robinson, the sources said.

The sources said the Marshals called the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who took Robinson into custody. Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night, FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday.

"Hey fascist! Catch! up arrow, right arrow, three down arrows"
"Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao"
"If you read this, you are gay LMAO"
"Notices Bulges 'OwO What's This?'"

Notably, [Notices bulges, OwO what's this?] is not a reference to transgender ideology, but a meme. It is a reference to furry and online roleplay culture, largely used in an ironic and demeaning way.

Social media users were quick to share the news of the inscription, finding it both absurd and shocking. Some have taken this to mean that Robinson was a furry, while others are hypothesizing that it's just a dark joke.

The other, unfired bullet casings were also inscribed with phrases, including, "O Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao" (an Italian song dedicated to the Italian resistance fighting against the occupying troops of Germany), "If you read this you are gay lmao" and "Hey fascist! Catch! up arrow, right arrow, three down arrows," which is a reference to the Eagle 500kg Bomb from the video game Helldivers 2.

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.

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. Another post said Robinson had earned a score of 34 on the ACT college entrance exam. It would put him in the top 1% of test takers, according to the Princeton Review test preparation company.

Both the shooter and his dad suffered from strabismus, where when focusing on an object, one of the eyes seems misaligned (see left eye in dad on this picture).

Strabismus can be caused by peripheral nerve issues, but it can also be a reflection of brain damage. It can be… https://t.co/wnJ91CtGcm

— Jean-François Gariépy 🧬 (@JFGariepy) September 12, 2025