way I can start to get my >> It was September 10th, 2025. Charlie Kirk stood before a crowd at Utah Valley University. [Applause] This was part of his American Comeback Tour, a run of speeches and debates under Turning Point USA, the group he co-founded. >> That's a lot of people. [Applause] >> Kirk was in his element. He thrived in debate. >> Do you think men can give birth? >> I think that uh >> yes or no question. >> I think that a person who is assigned male at birth, I don't think they can. The Q&A had just started when everything changed. >> Do you know how many mass shoots there have been in America over the last 10 years? Counting or not counting gang violence. Great. >> A bullet struck his neck. The crowd scattered. >> You're not counting gang violence. >> Get down. Get down. Get down. Get down. >> Thousands rushed for cover. Get down. Get down. What are you doing? >> What the [ __ ] >> His security team pushed forward trying to stop the bleeding, trying to save him. >> Safety team is here. I just heard them say the active shooter Charlie Kirk has been shot. >> But the shooter was gone before anyone could catch him. An unknowing bystander caught him on their camera. The gunman was high on the roof of a building almost 200 yd away. From that distance, he fired the shot that ended it. [Music] >> Kirk was carried by six men to a waiting SUV. [Applause] They rushed to Temponogus Regional Hospital in Orum. He was taken into surgery, but it wasn't enough. At 2:40 that afternoon, Donald Trump himself announced the death on Truth Social. >> Social, he writes, "The great and even legendary Charlie Kirk is dead. He was loved and admired by all, especially me, and now he is no longer with us. Charlie Kirk wasn't just a speaker. He was a voice that rose fast on the right and stood close to Donald Trump. >> President Trump makes healthcare affordable again. His 2017 executive order expanded access to truly affordable group plans to all Americans. >> Some called him the king maker. He could rally a base. >> Why do you agree with Donald Trump abusing fossil fuels and making the climate change crisis much worse than it is? >> Defend allies. Don't you see it's making oceans much more polluted? >> No. >> And strike back at anyone who opposed the movement. >> Absolutely. Do you know what carbon dioxide is? >> Yes. You want want to see it? >> He was one of the strongest voices on the conservative side. >> We agree that global temperatures are rising. We are not clear to the degree that human beings are responsible and we believe that climate change solutions are far worse for humanity than any good that they would possibly do. >> Now his voice was gone. Police started tracking the shooters movements with the cameras across campus. That morning at 8:29, a gray Dodge Challenger rolled onto campus. Behind the wheel was the man they now call the suspect. He left only to come back dressed differently hours later. Suspected shooter Tyler Robinson drove the very same Dodge Challenger to Utah Valley University. And at about 9:57 local time, the same door cam captures what appears to be Robinson. >> By 11:50, cameras showed him again. [Music] He walked across a grassy stretch and into a parking lot. [Music] At 11:53, he paused at the top of some stairs, pulled out his phone, and slipped into a pedestrian tunnel. [Music] From there, images placed him inside a garage stairwell. He was climbing upward. The event had just begun at noon. Students filled the outdoor space, an open ground that left Charlie Kirk fully exposed. Woohoo! >> 2 minutes later at 12:02, the suspect appeared on the north side of the Luzi Center. Investigators believe this was the moment he began his final approach. He entered the building from the southeast side, then made his way up a stairwell. [Music] By 12:22, he was flat on his stomach on the roof, rifle pointed down range. At 12:23, he pulled the trigger. One round, one hit. From 200 yd away, the bullet struck Kirk in the neck. After the shot, cameras showed him slipping behind an upper building. >> So here you see that the suspect ran behind that upper upper. >> Moments later, he reappeared on the far right corner. >> Upper building. He's come out on the right, moved to this far right corner. >> He climbed off the edge, dropped to the ground, and vanished from the campus. As he does, he's going to climb off the edge and then drop down to the ground. As he did that, he left some palm impressions. Um, there's some smudges in some places we're looking to collect DNA. There's a shoe imprint where we believe the suspect is clearly identified as wearing Converse tennis shoes. >> He was wearing all black. >> It's important to note his black t-shirt, his black pants. Um, and there is appears to be some white on the soles of those Converse tennis shoes. So, those are all identifiable items that we're looking for. >> Black t-shirt, dark pants, Converse shoes with white soles. The shirt had an American flag and an eagle. He wore a baseball cap with a triangle logo and carried sunglasses. These items stood out, each one distinct enough for the public to notice. >> Um, please pay close attention to the t-shirt. Like I said, very distinctive with that American flag and that eagle. um the hat with the triangle and the sunglasses. Can you go to the next picture, please? Um the backpack as well. Um all identifying features that we're hoping the public can help us identify and lead us to this suspect. >> But he still looked like a student. The backpack, the cap, the way he moved through campus, it all helped him blend in. Young enough to pass for anyone walking between classes. That was the problem. He didn't look out of place until the bullet was fired. >> And again, there's a better picture of the hat with that triangle logo and again the t-shirt, blue jeans, and you get a good look at those those Converse tennis shoes as well. >> The suspect was then spotted out on the street. He was captured on camera again coming out behind the house. He left the weapon behind. Investigators found it in a wooded patch not far from where he jumped. A boltaction rifle. The FBI crime lab took it in. The rifle, though, carried something stranger. Bullets inside it weren't plain. They were engraved. Some carried internet memes. Some carried mocking lines. Inscriptions on a fired casing read, "Notices, bulges, capital O, what's this question mark?" Inscriptions on the three unfired casings read, "Hey, fascist exclamation point, catch exclamation point, up arrow symbol, right arrow, and uh symbol, and three down arrow symbols." A second unfired casing read, "Oh, Bella Chow, Bellachchow, Bellachchow, Chow Chow." And a third unfired casing read, "If you read this, you are gay." L M A O. >> The bullet engravings reminded investigators of another case, Luigi Manion. He too had messages carved onto bullets, turning them into statements as much as weapons. >> Manion wrote, "Deny, defend, and depose." In both cases, the writing wasn't random. It carried intent. Charlie Kirk's visit to Utah Valley had been announced weeks earlier. They made it public on August 27th. Not everyone wanted it to happen, mostly the leftist. A petition had circulated calling on the university to cancel. >> There's a lot of people. There was a lot of petitions online to stop him from coming here. is then going to go was supposed to go up to Utah State, >> but officials stood by their free speech policy. They allowed it to go forward. When the day arrived, several thousand people showed up, but only six police officers were assigned to watch over the crowd. >> Um, I feel like I maybe saw three or four police officers in this whole environment of hundreds of people. I would >> Kirk's private security team added another layer. Still, gaps remained. >> They didn't even check for my ticket, which I did get a ticket. They did not pat us down. >> Tickets were not checked. Metal detectors were never brought in. Anyone could walk in carrying more than just a phone or a notebook. >> There was not much security precautions taken. There was >> 2 days later, the governor spoke about the case. He said the tips coming in to the FBI had already broken records. So far, we've received more than 7,000 leads and tips. Uh I I would just note that the FBI hasn't received this many digital media tips from the public since the Boston Mayor. >> A re award was placed on the shooter's capture. >> Reported the FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk. >> Anyone with information was urged to call in. That same night, Governor made his stance clear >> to come. More than anything, we are going to catch this person. Uh last thing I will just say is we've been working with our attorneys uh getting uh getting everything that we need affidavit ready so that we can pursue the uh the death penalty in this case. Um and that will happen here in the the state of Utah. >> The manhunt caused confusion in its early hours. Two people were taken into custody. One was 71-year-old George Zinn, a left-wing activist. >> This is the guy that shot him. [Applause] >> George Zinn approached an onduty detective and started screaming, "I shot him. Now shoot me. >> Shoot me. >> We don't know if it's him or not." He claimed responsibility right on campus, mostly instantly after the shooting. >> The FBI director announced that the shooter had been arrested. The governor also announced they got the shooter, but within hours they rolled it back. The school is now saying there is no suspect in custody after they previously said that one was. >> When detectives questioned Zinn about the location of the firearm, he simply replied, "I'm not going to tell you." >> The guy who claimed to have done the shooting, who had no weapon, he like an hour and a half before the show was walking around two conservative people and was basically just bashing Charlie's name. His arrest was later explained as obstruction. He was known for disrupting events and had history of mental health issues. >> We don't know if it's him or not. >> He was booked for obstruction of justice. The chaos spilled onto social media. Within hours, speculation turned wild. Some claimed the shooter was transgender. Many claimed it was this guy. >> Have a debate, but you actually don't debate. There's nothing more ill than this. >> So, we already have a mic. >> Name two times. Name name two times where you >> show Show me you're losing without telling me you're losing. >> He is a transgender musician named Sky Valadez. He wrote a song titled Charlie Kirk Dead at 31. Well, I mean, you could say whatever you want if you want to make a fool of yourself, but we do have like 10 year olds here and 11 year olds. So, can we have some decency? You don't care. You're typical leftist cuz you only care about yourself, not about the other people. >> Who said I was a leftist? >> Kirk was 31 at the time of his death and would turn 32 in October. After the attack, Sky Valadez deleted the track from Soundcloud and changed his profile location to Leave Me Alone. At the same time, an account under the handle nudger gals claimed something big would happen at UVU the next day. >> Colleagues, tomorrow, I really hope someone evaporates him, literally. And then this guy said, "Let's just say something big will happen tomorrow." >> Turns out it was fake. But by then the story had spread. By now, the shooter's face was everywhere. It wasn't just national news anymore. It had gone global. >> The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battlecry. >> That's when the break came. The suspect's father, who was a US marshal and a minister, saw the pictures. He recognized his son, Tyler James Robinson, and confronted him. And Tyler confessed. On the evening of September 11th, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident. >> That same day, the governor confirmed it. He was arrested and booked into Utah County Jail, held without bail. Robinson is 22. He lived 3 and 1/2 hours south of the UVU campus. >> He's in the top 1%. He has an amazing intellect. >> He was a straight A student. >> Congratulations. You have been selected to receive the resident presidential scholarship from Utah State University. The value of this scholarship is approximately $32,000. This scholarship is available for four years or eight semesters. >> He attended Utah State but dropped out after one semester. At the time he was in his third year of an electrical apprenticeship at Dixie Technical College. Even in high school he had earned credits through Dixie State University. >> Kid was smart, quiet. He never caused any problems. >> He had no criminal record. His family was Republican and Trump supporter. He himself was a registered voter, though he hadn't been active in elections. Investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson who stated that Robinson had become more political in recent years. The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to September 10th. And in the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had. The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate. The family member also confirmed Robinson had a gray Dodge Challenger. Investigators turned quickly to his personal life. Robinson lived with a transgender roommate who was transitioning from a male to a female. Turns out he wasn't just a roommate. >> That uh that his roommate was indeed a boyfriend uh who who is transitioning from uh from male to female. Uh that's that's information that the FBI had uh had mentioned yesterday. Uh we can confirm that as well and that that uh that he is cooperating with uh with authorities. >> The roommate turned over their private messages. On September 10th, 2025, the roommate got a text from Robinson. >> Drop what you were doing. Look under my keyboard. >> Under the keyboard was a note. It said, >> "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it." Police later photographed that note. After the roommate read it, they could believe it. Robinson then messaged, >> "I am still okay, my love, but I'm stuck in Orum for a little while longer yet. Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I got to grab my right." >> The roommate still couldn't believe it. >> The one who did it, right? >> Robinson's reply was short, but definitive. >> I am. I'm sorry. The roommate then asked why he did it, to which Robinson replied, >> "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out." >> Asked how long he'd been planning it. Robinson said, >> "A bit over a week, I believe." >> He then wrote about the rifle. He said he wished he'd grabbed it as soon as he reached his vehicle. >> I'm worried what my old man would do if I didn't bring back Grandpa's rifle. He told the roommate he left the rifle in a bush when he changed clothes and have to abandon it. He also wrote about the engraved rounds. >> If I see notices Bulge UW on Fox New. >> He finally urges the roommate to delete these messages and stay low and ask for a lawyer if the cops show up. So, the roommate knew, but he stayed quiet. So, in terms of what we do for an interrogation um perspective, we go and reach out to the family and community immediately. And we've conducted those investigations and interrogations with local law enforcement and we're continuing to do that because those closest to the suspect are going to hopefully know the most about the suspect and his beliefs and his ideology. On top of that, um, unfortunately, it has been leaked that there was a uh a Discord chat, and for those unfamiliar with it, it's a gaming chat room online, um, that the suspect participated >> in a Discord group. One of Tyler's friends mentioned watching Kirk get assassinated and said >> and said, "Bro didn't deserve to go out like that." >> Then someone in the Discord group noted how much he looked like the suspect. Robinson laughed it off. My doppelganger is trying to get me in trouble, Robinson. >> Another friend jokingly wrote, >> "Tyler killed Charlie." >> Then someone suggested they turn Charlie in for the reward money. >> Cut. Robinson joked. "Whatever you do, don't go to a McDonald's anytime soon," the friend advised 22-year-old Robinson. >> McDonald's was where Luigi Manion had been caught. But as the days went on, the jokes fell away, and he eventually admitted it was him. fired by him, but followed him and was um very struck by his infamy and how much media attention. >> And just like that, the mask slipped. >> Today, FBI director Cash Patel revealed that Robinson had written a note announcing his intentions prior to the murder. >> The suspect wrote a note saying, >> "Discord shut his account down soon after." On September 14th, Governor Cox claimed Robinson's politics were not like those of his conservative family. He suggested Robinson had radicalized after dropping out of Utah State. >> To be that a kid with a 4.0, um, with a 34 on the ACT, with a full ride scholarship at my alma mater, who didn't even last a semester, drops out and, uh, and ends up doing something like this. We need to understand that, and we need to figure out how to stop it. The next day, investigators released something more concrete. >> That the DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody. >> The FBI also began tracing several online accounts tied to the case, some linked back to his roommate. >> Very good. I see the public reports that the Discord thread had as many as 20 additional users. It sounds like you're you're trying to run down all of that to see if that's accurate, who else may have been on that thread, what they may have known. Is that fair to say? >> It's a lot more than that. We're running them all down. >> It's a lot more than 20. >> Yes, sir. >> And you're running all of that together. >> Every single one. >> On September 17th, Tyler Robinson appeared in court. >> State of Utah versus Tyler James Robinson. Could you state your name? >> Tyler James Robinson. That's all he said in his first court appearance. He stood still and kept a straight face. There is a long list of charges against him. Count one, aggravated murder, a capital offense for intentionally or knowingly causing the death of Charlie Kirk under circumstances that created a great risk of death to others. Count two, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, a firstdegree felony. >> The killing cut straight into the heart of American politics. To some, it showed how far violence had seeped into public life. To others, it was a rallying cry. over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. After this joke, Jimmy Kimmel show was pulled off indefinitely. Leaders spoke out. President Trump and others on the right blamed Democrats and liberal ideology. For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today and it must stop right now. >> At the same time, online lists appeared outing people who had celebrated Kirk's death. Lucas from Wisconsin, you're fired. Shelby from North Dakota, you've been fired. Mary from Louisiana, >> most of them deserved it. Criticism of him was lumped in. >> Yesterday at 5:00 p.m., I was fired from my job for posting a video saying I don't care about Charlie Kirk's death. >> On September 11th, Kirk's casket was flown to Phoenix aboard Air Force 2. Vice President JD Vance, second lady Usher Vance, and Erica Kirk, his widow, accompanied the body. >> The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry. A memorial service is set for September 21st at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Thousands were expected to gather. >> I want to be I want to be remembered for for courage for my faith. That that would be the most important thing. Most important thing is my faith.