What to know about the killing of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA

A 22-year-old Utah man was arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event on a college campus, authorities said Friday.

“We got him,” Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters at a news conference announcing the arrest of Tyler Robinson in Wednesday's killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University. He was taken into custody Thursday night and is due in court early next week. Investigators believe he acted alone.

Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump. He led an effort to remake the GOP’s get-out-the-vote effort in the 2024 election based on the theory there were thousands of Trump supporters who rarely vote but could be persuaded to do so.

His killing was the latest in a string of attacks on U.S. politicians that have targeted members of both major parties.

Here's what to know about Kirk's shooting:

Cox, a Republican, said a family member of Robinson's reached out to a friend, who contacted authorities with information that Robinson had confessed or implied that he carried out the shooting.

“I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson who did the right thing,” he said.

Robinson’s father recognized him from images released by authorities and encouraged him to turn himself in, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. He refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Robinson's father reached out for help to a youth pastor, who helped Robinson turn himself in, the official said.

The governor would not say if Robinson was cooperating with the investigation.

Robinson was being held Friday at the Utah County Jail. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice charges, according to a court affidavit. A judge ordered that he be held without bail.

Family members of Robinson didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment. It wasn't clear if he had a lawyer.

The Utah County attorney’s office said it expects to file formal charges by Tuesday, when Robinson is due to make an initial court appearance.

According to Cox, Robinson's family said he had become “more political in recent years” and had criticized Kirk. During a recent dinner with family, he mentioned Kirk was due to appear at the university event and they discussed whether Kirk was spreading hate, Cox said.

A rifle hidden in a towel was recovered in a wooded area near the university campus. There was a spent cartridge in the chamber and three other rounds loaded in the magazine. Cox also said ammunition found at the scene was engraved with taunting, anti-fascist and meme culture messaging.

Details about Robinson began to emerge after news of his arrest broke.

He was admitted to Utah State University on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account. However, he attended for only one semester in 2021, a school spokesperson said.

After leaving Utah State, Robinson enrolled at Dixie Technical College, a small school in the southern Utah near his family's home in Washington, a city of about 30,000 people that’s roughly 240 miles (390 kilometers) southwest of the Utah Valley campus, where the attack happened. At the time of his arrest, he was a third-year student in Dixie Tech's electrical apprenticeship program, which trains people to be electricians, lighting technicians or electrical repair specialists.

Robinson’s address is still listed as his parents' home, and he is registered as an unaffiliated voter, according to state records. He doesn't appear to have a prior criminal record.

The Robinsons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, a neighbor said. Robert Sylvester, who goes to the neighborhood chapel daily, described them as inactive members of their ward.

Robinson became a member at a young age, said church spokesperson Doug Andersen. He didn’t share any other details about Robinson or his family’s church involvement.

There was a heavy police presence outside of the Robinson family’s house on Friday as media arrived. Window coverings were drawn, and a pickup truck was parked in front of the home, blocking access to the driveway.

Back in Orem, a heavy law enforcement presence remained on the Utah Valley campus Friday, but there was a marked shift in mood after Robinson's arrest was announced, as residents who had been afraid to leave their homes began venturing out.

“I feel like there’s been this like really heavy, dark weight pressed over my heart and soul for the last two days, and waking up to the news of the shooter being captured today, it is a great thing,” said Utah Valley alumnus Creighton Baird. “It’s pure relief.”

Kirk’s assassination is “an attack on the American experiment” and values, and “cuts to the very foundation of who we are," Cox said in an impassioned plea for Americans to use Kirk's death as an inflection point to turn the country away from political violence and division.

“This is our moment: Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox said, pleading with young people to bridge differences through common ground rather than violence. “It’s a choice.”

Republicans and Democrats alike were swift to condemn Kirk's killing.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast, posted on X: “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”

Trump ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation. The president, who sustained a minor ear injury when he was shot at a campaign event last year, said he and Kirk had a close relationship.

“He wanted to help young people, and he didn’t deserve this,” Trump said Friday.

Kirk was 18 years old when he co-founded Turning Point in suburban Chicago in 2012 with William Montgomery, a tea party activist. They aimed to take their ideas for low taxes and limited government to college campuses.

Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination for president in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to the then-candidate's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during the general election campaign.

Kirk also was known for provocative statements on race that he used to court Gen Z voters.

“I’m sorry. If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified,'” Kirk said during a 2024 podcast with fellow conservative activist Jack Posobiec.

Kirk's widow vowed to continue his campus tour and his radio and podcast shows.

“To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen,” Erika Kirk said in a speech livestreamed Friday.

Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst contributed.

Wendy Lucas, Utah Valley University student looks at a memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Wendy Lucas, a Utah Valley University student, kneels at a memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Meagan Bradley kneels at a memorial is set up for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

This photo released by the Utah Governor's Office on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025 shows Tyler Robinson. (Utah Governor's Office via AP)

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at a news conference, as Utah department of public safety commissioner Beau Mason, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel listens, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah,(AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, converse as they make their way to a press conference to speak to media about the shooting death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Rio Giancarlo/The Deseret News via AP)

Congregants bow their heads during a prayer event at CenterPoint Church the day after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A well-wisher is overcome after dropping off flowers, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at the national headquarters of Turning Point USA in Phoenix, following the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old CEO of the organization, at a Utah college. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Law enforcement officials prepare to sweep a building at Utah Valley University, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

FILE - President Donald Trump shakes hands with moderator Charlie Kirk, during a Generation Next White House forum at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Thursday, March 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Allison Hemingway-Witty cries after Charlie Kirk is shot during Turning Point's visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.

Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. Several European partners — including France, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — started sending symbolic numbers of troops already on Wednesday or promised to do so in the following days.

The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.

“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.

Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.

On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland” but that dialogue with the U.S. would continue at a high level over the following weeks.

Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the U.S. would go on and European support was becoming visible.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the continuation of “dialogue and diplomacy.”

“Greenland is not for sale,” he said Thursday. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”

In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, local residents told The Associated Press they were glad the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials had taken place but suggested it left more questions than answers.

Several people said they viewed Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the goal is to deter a U.S. move against the island.

Maya Martinsen, 21, said it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is a part of Denmark and NATO.

The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”

On Wednesday, Poulsen announced a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”

“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.

Asked whether the European troop movements were coordinated with NATO or what role the U.S.-led military alliance might play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to the Danish authorities. However, NATO is currently studying ways to bolster security in the Arctic.

The Russian embassy in Brussels on Thursday lambasted what it called the West's “bellicose plans” in response to “phantom threats that they generate themselves”. It said the planned military actions were part of an “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda” by NATO.

“Russia has consistently maintained that the Arctic should remain a territory of peace, dialogue and equal cooperation," the embassy said.

Rasmussen announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to work through differences.

“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.

Commenting on the outcome of the Washington meeting on Thursday, Poulsen said the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction.” He added nevertheless that the dialogue with the U.S. did not mean “the danger has passed.”

Speaking on Thursday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the American ambition to take over Greenland remains intact despite the Washington meeting, but she welcomed the creation of the working group.

The most important thing for Greenlanders is that they were directly represented at the meeting in the White House and that “the diplomatic dialogue has begun now,” Juno Berthelsen, a lawmaker for the pro-independence Naleraq opposition party, told AP.

A relationship with the U.S. is beneficial for Greenlanders and Americans and is “vital to the security and stability of the Arctic and the Western Alliance,” Berthelsen said. He suggested the U.S. could be involved in the creation of a coast guard for Greenland, providing funding and creating jobs for local people who can help to patrol the Arctic.

Line McGee, 38, from Copenhagen, told AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she said. “But I feel slightly better than I did yesterday.”

Trump, in his Oval Office meeting with reporters, said: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”

Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

People walk on a street in Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

From center to right, Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, Denmark's Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, rear, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, right, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with senators from the Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP)

Fishermen load fishing lines into a boat in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)