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Suspect was an electrical student at a technical college
Aaron Gilchrist and Rebecca Cohen
The Charlie Kirk shooting suspect is a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George, Utah, a spokesperson from Utah Valley University said.
He attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021, the spokesperson said, and also earned college credits through Utah Tech University while in high school from 2019-2021.
The Utah County Security Center where Tyler Robinson is being held.Michael Ciaglo / Getty ImagesShareUtah Valley students can pick up items they left in courtyard
Students who attend Utah Valley University and left their things in the campus courtyard during the shooting can retrieve them starting today at 2 p.m.
Pickup will be at the Young Living Alumni Center at 1062 W. 800 S. in Orem.
ShareSuspect’s neighbor says she’s ‘shocked’ by shooting
Reporting from Washington, Utah
Kristin Schwiermann, a neighbor of the suspect’s family, said he was “smart,” “quiet” and “never caused any problems.”
“It was just a shock,” Schwiermann said. “I am shocked, very shocked.”
She said that she found out that Tyler Robinson had been named as a suspect from her son.
“My son texted me and said, ‘Hey, this is Tyler Robinson that lives three doors down.’ And I’m like, ‘No, it can’t be.’ It’s shocking,” she said. “That’s not who’s in our neighborhood. I feel for his mom. … She’s a great mom, and he has a great dad.”
Kristin Schwiermann.Suzanne Gamboa / NBC NewsShareSuspect expected to be charged with aggravated murder
The suspect arrested in Charlie Kirk’s shooting is expected to be charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The offenses are all state charges.
Gov. Spencer Cox said that under Utah law, they have three days to file charging documents. He said that it should come “early next week.”
People mourn Charlie Kirk outside the Turning Point USA headquarters today in Phoenix.Charly Triballeau / AFP – Getty ImagesShareOfficials believe suspect acted alone in shooting
Officials believe the suspect acted alone in Charlie Kirk’s shooting, Gov. Spencer Cox said at a morning news conference.
Tyler Robinson.Utah Governor’s Office
When asked by a reporter if he expects additional arrests, the governor said: “We do not at this time have any information that would lead to any additional arrests.”
A reporter then asked if he believed the suspect acted alone. “Yes, but the investigation is ongoing.”
Share‘Hey fascist! Catch!’ among inscriptions found on suspect’s weapons
Discord messages reviewed by investigators indicated that the shooting suspect engraved writings on bullets he used and that the rifle and scope he used were “unique,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference this morning.
Officials found a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a dark towel yesterday in a wooded area on the edge of Utah Valley University. Cox said it was a Mauser model 98 bolt-action rifle. It had a scope mounted on it.
There were inscriptions on casings found within the rifle, Cox said. The inscription on the fired casing said: “notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?”
Three unfired casings also had inscriptions, Cox said.
One read, “Hey fascist! Catch!” with an up arrow, a right arrow and three down arrows.
The second said, “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao.”
The third, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
ShareNo indication of prior criminal history found for suspect
NBC News’ searches of state and national public records associated with Tyler Robinson’s name and date of birth found no indication of a prior criminal record.
ShareInscriptions found on bullet casings from suspect
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed that inscriptions were found on the bullet casings belonging to Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. One of the inscriptions had the lyrics to the Italian folk song “Bella Ciao.”
ShareFBI director says arrest was made in ‘historic time’
The shooting suspect was detained last night, FBI Director Kash Patel said, thanking President Donald Trump, the federal government and the public for assistance.
“In 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie,” he said at a morning news conference.
Patel highlighted the quick response from law enforcement after the shooting and the efforts made to take the suspect into custody quickly.
“The arrest is a testament to good law enforcement being great,” he said.
Patel said as of this morning, officials have over 11,000 leads that were called in to the FBI, and “we’re running out every single lead that we can.”
ShareShooting suspect was a student at Utah State University in 2021
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Daniel Arkin, Rebecca Cohen and Aaron Gilchrist
The suspect arrested in connection with Charlie Kirk’s shooting went to Utah State University for one semester in 2021, a spokesperson for the university confirmed to NBC News.
He was a pre-engineering major and took classes consistent with that major during the brief period he attended, according to university spokeswoman Amanda DeRito.
He then took a leave of absence.
The shooting took place at Utah Valley University. A spokesperson for that school said the suspect is not a student.
ShareUtah Gov. Cox says suspect discussed Kirk’s upcoming appearance at Utah Valley University with family
Tyler Robinson, the shooting suspect, arrived on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday at 8:29 a.m. in a gray Dodge Challenger, wearing a plain maroon T-shirt, light-colored shorts and a black hat with a white logo, as seen in surveillance videos, Cox said.
When Washington County investigators approached the suspect this morning, Cox said he was wearing a similar outfit. Messages from the shooting suspect later reviewed by investigators indicated he had changed outfits.
Investigators interviewed a member of the man’s family, who said he had become more political in recent years. The person said Robinson recently told them that Kirk was coming to UVU and the pair discussed how they didn’t like Kirk and the viewpoints he held.
Officials also interviewed Robinson’s roommate, who showed investigators a number of Discord messages from the suspect, including ones that said he needed to get a rifle from a drop point and another about leaving that rifle in a bush, Cox said.
There were also messages that referred to the suspect watching the spot where he had left the rifle after Kirk’s shooting and that the rifle was wrapped in a towel, which is how officials found it yesterday.
ShareUtah Gov. Cox: ‘We got him’
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the arrest of Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of shooting and killing Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.
Cox said a family member of Robinson reached out to a family friend last night, who then contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had either confessed or implied that he had carried out Wednesday’s shooting.
ShareFlorida councilman facing calls to resign over post calling Kirk’s death ‘fitting sacrifice’
A councilman in the village of Palmetto Bay, Florida, is facing a backlash and growing calls for him to step down over a social media post about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In the since-deleted post, Councilman Steve Cody called Kirk’s assassination “a fitting sacrifice” with a graphic of the activist’s 2023 remarks that “it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year” for Second Amendment rights.
“Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our Lords: Smith & Wesson. Hallowed be their names,” Cody wrote.
He spoke with NBC6 yesterday, addressing why he made the post and then deleted it.
“I will admit to you it was not well thought out,” Cody said. “I regret it because it was insensitive. I do think there’s a certain bit of irony in it, but it caused a lot of pain for people I know and people that I respect, and I took it down.”
ShareWhite House defends Patel’s handling of the Kirk investigation
The White House is defending FBI Director Kash Patel’s handling of the investigation into the Charlie Kirk shooting. Patel posted on social media Wednesday that a suspect had been taken into custody; less than two hours later, he said that person was released.
In a statement, a White House official said:
“Director Patel is working night and day on this case. Anyone who doubts his resolve and dedication — especially when Charlie was such a close friend to him — simply is using this extremely sad moment in disgusting act of political gamesmanship. The focus is justice, and this killer will face the full wrath of the justice system.”
Patel listens as Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason speaks at Utah Valley University yesterday.Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images