The FBI confirmed Monday that DNA collected from a towel wrapped around a rifle near the site of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination matches that of the 22-year-old suspect charged in his killing, Director Kash Patel announced.
Investigators have also connected the suspect, Tyler Robinson, to a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired, using DNA evidence, FBI Director Kash Patel revealed Monday on Fox News’ "Fox & Friends."
Utah authorities are expected to file capital murder charges against Tyler Robinson as early as Tuesday in the killing of Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative figure and founder of Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations, who had also become a close confidant of former President Donald Trump.
Charlie Kirk, known for mobilizing young conservative evangelical Christians into politics, was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University during one of his frequent campus visits. The attack has heightened concerns over the surge of political violence in an increasingly polarized United States.
Officials say Tyler Robinson harbored a deep hatred for Charlie Kirk and adhered to a "leftist ideology" that had intensified in recent years. According to Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Sunday, Robinson’s family and friends reported that he spent significant time exploring the "darker corners of the internet."
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News that Tyler Robinson had written in a note prior to the shooting that he saw an opportunity to kill Charlie Kirk and intended to do so. Investigators were able to recover the note’s contents even after it had been destroyed, Patel said, paraphrasing from it without disclosing additional details.
Over the weekend, Governor Cox noted that Tyler Robinson’s romantic partner is transgender, though authorities have yet to determine whether Kirk’s alleged anti-transgender views played any role in the suspect’s motive.
Utah’s Department of Public Safety chief said Monday that Tyler Robinson’s partner has been fully cooperative with authorities.
“There was a romantic, personal relationship there. We are still investigating whether that individual had any involvement,” commissioner Beau Mason told The Associated Press.
“We believe that Tyler Robinson acted by himself during this shooting,” said Mason, noting that investigators are still examining whether anyone else may have been aware of his plans beforehand.
Authorities report that Tyler Robinson has not been cooperating with law enforcement since his arrest on suspicion of aggravated murder. Officials suggest he may have been radicalized online. Ammunition recovered from the gun used in Kirk’s killing featured engravings referencing anti-fascist themes and internet meme culture, with court records noting that one bullet casing bore the message, "Hey, fascist! Catch!"
Tyler Robinson was arrested late Thursday near his hometown of St. George, located in southwestern Utah between Las Vegas and Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. It remains unclear whether he has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf, and his family has declined to comment to the Associated Press.
Authorities disclosed Monday that a man arrested in the aftermath of the shooting, George Zinn, was taken into custody after allegedly yelling, "I shot him, now shoot me." A probable cause statement later indicated that Zinn admitted he made the statement "so the real suspect could get away." Attempts to reach Zinn’s attorney, who represented him in another case earlier this year, were not immediately returned.
In the wake of the shooting, security experts have questioned the adequacy of protection at the event, including the number of officers present and the choice to hold it outdoors. Kirk was known for preferring close interaction with students during his college campus tours, often engaging directly with passersby. His security measures, however, varied significantly from stop to stop.
Tributes to Charlie Kirk continued nationwide. On Sunday, mourners formed a long line around the Kennedy Center in Washington for a vigil, while moments of silence were observed at multiple professional sporting events.
On Monday, a massive American flag was draped from a walkway just above the spot where Kirk had been seated before the shooting. At a nearby memorial adorned with flowers and flags near the university entrance, visitors wrote messages in chalk across the sidewalks—mostly Bible verses and calls for love, alongside more forceful statements. "Bullets can’t stop the truth," read one of the messages.
Vice President JD Vance, a close friend of Kirk, served as a guest host Monday on "The Charlie Kirk Show" on the streaming platform Rumble.
Vance recounted that Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, told him her husband never raised his voice to her and was never "cross or mean-spirited."
“I took from that moment that I needed to be a better husband and I needed to be a better father,” the vice president said. “That is the way I’m going to honor my friend.”
