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JEFFREY S. GRAY # 5852
Utah County Attorney
CHAD E. GRUNANDER # 9968
RYAN MCBRIDE # 13079
LAUREN HUNT # 14682
DAVID STURGILL # 7995
CHRIS TOPHER D. BALLARD # 8497
Deputy Utah County Attorneys
100 East Center, Suite 2100
Provo, Utah 84606
Telephone: (801) 851 -8026
Email: [email protected]
IN THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
UTAH COUNTY, STATE OF UTAH
STATE OF UTAH,
Plaintiff,
vs.
TYLER JAMES ROBINSON
894 W Cimarron Dr
Washington, UT 84780
DOB: 4/16/2003
SID:
Defendant.
INFORMATION
Case No.
Judge
OTN: 70090584
BAIL:
The State of Utah, by and through the Utah County Attorney’s Office, charges the
defendant with the commission of the following offense(s):
COUNT 1: AGGRAVATED MURDER, a Capital Felony , in violation of Utah Code Ann.
§ 76-5-202, in that on September 10, 2025, in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson,
intentionally or knowingly cause d the death of Charlie Kirk under the following circumstance: (iii)
the defendant knowingly created a great risk of death to another individual other than Charlie Kirk
and the defendant .
NOTICE: Conviction of this offense may carry the death penalty, or, pursuant to Utah Code 76 -
3-207.7, a mandatory term of imprisonment: (i) for life without parole; or (ii) an indeterminate
term of not less than 25 years and that may be for life.
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VICTIM TARGETING ENHANCEMENT: In violation of Utah Code Ann. § 76 -3-203.14(2),
Tyler James Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of Tyler James Robinson’s
belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression.
NOTICE: If the trier of fact finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim targeting enhancement
applies, the sentencing judge or the Board of Pardons and Parole shall consider the defendant's
selection of the victim as an aggravating factor.
VIOLENT OFFENSE COMMITTED IN THE PRESENCE OF A CHILD – AGGRAVATING
FACTOR: The sentencing judge or the Board of Pardons and Parole shall consider as an
aggravating factor in their deliberations that the defendant committed a violent criminal offense in
the presence of a child.
COUNT 2: FELONY DISCHARGE OF A FIREARM CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY
INJURY , a First Degree Felony, in violation of Utah Code Ann. § 76 -11-210(2) and (3)(c) , in that
on September 10, 2025 , in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, discharge d a
firearm in the direction of Charlie Kirk , knowing or having reason to believe that Charlie Kirk may
be endangered by the discharge of the firearm , and the act cause d serious bodily injury to Charlie
Kirk.
VICTIM TARGETING ENHANCEMENT: In violation of Utah Code Ann. § 76 -3-203.14(2),
Tyler James Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of Tyler James Robinson’s
belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression.
NOTICE: If the trier of fact finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim targeting enhancement
applies, the sentencing judge or the Board of Pardons and Parole shall consider the defendant's
selection of the victim as an aggravating factor.
VIOLENT OFFENSE COMMITTED IN THE PRESENCE OF A CHILD – AGGRAVATING
FACTOR: The sentencing judge or the Board of Pardons and Parole shall consider as an
aggravating factor in their deliberations that the defendant committed a violent criminal offense in
the presence of a child.
COUNT 3: OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, a Second Degree Felony, in violation of Utah
Code Ann. § 76 -8-306(2), in that on September 10, 2025, in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler
James Robinson, with intent to hinder, delay, or prevent the investigation, apprehension,
prosecution, conviction, or punishment of any person regarding conduct that constitutes a criminal
offense: (c) conceal ed or remove d the firearm used to shoot Charlie Kirk ; and the conduct that
constitutes an offense would be a capital felony or firs t degree felony.
COUNT 4: OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, a Second Degree Felony, in violation of Utah
Code Ann. § 76 -8-306(2), in that on or about September 11, 2025, in Utah County, the defendant,
Tyler James Robinson, with intent to hinder, delay, or prevent the investigation, apprehension,
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prosecution, conviction, or punishment of any person regarding conduct that constitutes a criminal
offense: (c) destroyed, concealed, or removed the clothing he wore during the shooting ; and the
conduct that constitutes an offense would be a capital felony or first degree felony .
COUNT 5: TAMPERING WITH A WITNESS, a Third Degree Felony, in violation of
Utah Code Ann. § 76 -8-508, in that on or about September 10, 2025, in Utah County, the
defendant, Tyler James Robinson, (a)(i) believe d that an official proceeding or investigation was
pending or about to be instituted; or (ii) intend ed to prevent an official proceeding or investigation;
and (b) attempt ed to induce or otherwise cause his roommate to (ii) withhold testimony,
information, a document, or an item , to wit: directing his roommate to delete incriminating text
messages.
COUNT 6: TAMPERING WITH A WITNESS, a Third Degree Felony, in violation of
Utah Code Ann. § 76 -8-508, in that on or about September 11, 2025, in Utah County, the
defendant, Tyler James Robinson, (a)(i) believed that an official proceeding or investigation was
pending or about to be instituted; or (ii) intended to prevent an official proceeding or investigation;
and (b) attempted to induce or otherwise cause his roommate to (ii) withhold testimony or
information , to wit: directing his roommate to stay silent if police question ed the roommate .
COUNT 7: VIOLENT OFFENSE COMMITTED IN THE PRESENCE OF A CHILD , a
Class A Misdemeanor, in violation of Utah Code Ann. § 76 -3-203.10(2) and § 76 -3-
203.14(3)(a)(ii) in that on or about September 10, 2025 , in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler
James Robinson, committed criminal homicide in the physical presence of a child younger than
14 years old, with knowledge that a child was present and may have seen or heard the commission
of the criminal homicide.
VICTIM TARGETING ENHANCEMENT: In violation of Utah Code Ann. § 76 -3-203.14(2),
Tyler James Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of Tyler James Robinson’s
belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression.
PROBABLE CAUSE STATEMENT : Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of
Investigations, having probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the above -listed
offense(s), submitted the following evidence in support of the filing of this Information:
On September 10, 2025, at approximately 12:23 p.m., Charlie Kirk was shot and killed
while speaking to a large crowd on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah.
(Counts 1 and 2). Police found the suspected murder weapon, a bolt -action .30 -06 rifle nearby.
Over the next approximately 33 hours, police conducted a manhunt for the shooter until the
evening of September 11, 2025, when Tyler James Robinson surrendered to police at the
Washington County Sheriff’s Office. DNA consistent with Robins on was found on the rifle’s
trigger. After shooting Mr. Kirk, Robinson hid the gun (Count 3), discarded the clothing he wore
when he fired the rifle (Count 4), and told his lover/roommate to delete incriminating text messages
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(Count 5) and not to talk to police (Count 6). Children were present at the time of the shooting
(Count 7).
The Shooting.
Turning Point USA, a non -profit organization founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, organized
a public, outdoor event to be held at noon on September 10, 2025, at UVU. The event was the first
in a series of similar events to be held at college campuses nationwid e. Mr. Kirk is a well -known
conservative activist, famous for these types of events where he discusses various political issues
and debates with audience members. His events and comments have garnered a significant number
of supporters and drawn the ire o f many who disagree with his political views.
The event at UVU was announced far in advance and garnered significant publicity and
interest. Consequently, several hundred people attended. Mr. Kirk was interacting with the crowd
before the event officially got underway. Then, approximately at noon, Mr. Kirk seated himself
under a portable canopy behind a table and microphone. He began speaking to the crowd and
fielding questions from attendees, a format Mr. Kirk commonly used at his events. Mr. Kirk
allowed his questioners to approach a microphone posi tioned directly in front of him .
Mr. Kirk’s team members were very close to him on his right and left, as well as some
behind his canopy and others at various close locations near him. The large crowd surrounded Mr.
Kirk on three sides. Temporary metal fencing separated attendees from Mr. Kirk by only a matter
of feet. Directly above and behind Mr. Kirk was the UVU Hall of Flags, an indoor walkway
spanning several hundred feet with floor -to-ceiling glass windows which overlook the plaza where
Mr. Kirk was seated. People were in the walkwa y at the time of the shooting.
Approximately fifteen minutes into the event, Mr. Kirk was answering a question about
mass shootings by transgender individuals when a gunshot rang out. The bullet struck Mr. Kirk in
the neck. He slumped to the ground almost immediately. The bullet’s traje ctory passed closely to
several other individuals beside Mr. Kirk, including the questioner who was standing directly in
front of Mr. Kirk. Children were visible near Mr. Kirk’s stage when he was shot.
Mr. Kirk was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared deceased. The Medical
Examiner’s report is pending.
The UVU Surveillance Investigation.
At the moment of the shot, a UVU police officer (the UVU Officer) was watching the
crowd from an elevated vantage point. As soon as he heard the shot, he began to scan the area for
threats. Believing the shot came from a rifle because of its sound, he looked for potential sniper
positions. He noted a roof area approximately 160 yard s away from Mr. Kirk as a potential
shooting position and rushed there to look for evidence.
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The suspected shooting position is adjacent to an open, publicly -accessible walkway. To
access the suspected location, a person must climb over a railing and then drop to the roof only
slightly below. The UVU officer climbed over the railing and down onto the roof. He then walked
to the suspected shooting position and confirmed a clear shooting corridor between the position
and Mr. Kirk’s seat. He also noticed markings in the gravel rooftop consistent with a sniper having
lain on the roof – impressions in the gravel potentially left by the elbows, knees, and feet of a
person in a prone shooting position.
Police reviewed surveillance from the camera covering the roof and discovered that it
recorded an individual dressed in dark clothing cross the railing from the public walkway and drop
onto the roof at approximately 12:15 p.m. Although the individual moved out of the camera’s view
for a short time, the camera again captured the individual running across the roof and then low -
crawling to the area the UVU Officer recognized as where the suspected sniper had dropped into
a prone shooting position. After a sho rt time, which matches the known time of the shot, the
individual arose and ran across the roof to the northeast.
This discovery led to an intensive review of UVU surveillance recordings to attempt to
track and identify the suspect. Surveillance revealed the following. At approximately 11:51 a.m.,
the suspect entered campus from the north. He is seen wearing a black s hirt with an American flag
in its center, a dark baseball cap, and large sunglasses. Throughout the surveillance, the suspect
keeps his head down and rarely raises his head enough to get a clear image of his face. As he
proceeds across the campus, he is s een walking with an unusual gait. The suspect walks with very
little bending in his right leg – consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants. This unusual gait
continues until the suspect is seen crossing the railing off the open walkway and onto the roof,
where he leaves the camera’s view.
A camera later captures the suspect as he runs across the roof to the suspected shooting
position. Immediately after the shot was fired, a camera captures the suspect running across the
roof carrying an item whose shape is consistent with a rifle. The susp ect is then seen climbing
down from the roof. He appears to drop the item he was carrying as he hits the ground in a
controlled fall. He then picks up the item and runs toward the northeast end of campus.
Expanded Crime Scene Investigation.
Law enforcement officers followed the suspect’s escape path to the northeast end of
campus, where they believed the suspect left campus and entered a wooded area. In that wooded
area, investigators found a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel. The rifle contained one spent round
and three unspent rounds. This is consistent with the facts officers observed at the time of, and
immediately after the shooting —no shell casings were found on the roof, suggesting a bolt -action
rather than an auto -loading weapon, and only a single round was fired.
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Each round in the rifle contained an etched inscription as follows:
Fired cartridge: NoTices Bulge
OWO What’s
This?
Second cartridge: Hey Facist!
Catch!
[arrow symbols]
Third cartridge: O Bella ciao,
Bella ciao
Bella ciao
Ciao, ciao!
Fourth cartridge: If you Read
This, You Are
GAY
Lmao
The rifle, ammunition rounds, and towel were sent for forensic processing. DNA consistent
with Robinson’s was found on the trigger, other parts of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two
of the three unfired cartridges, and the towel.
Law enforcement was unable to immediately locate the s hooter , so they p ublished photos
of the shooter from the UVU surveillance cameras and asked for the public’s help to identify him.
Meanwhile, law enforcement continued to try to identify the shooter through other means.
The Washington County Investigation.
On the evening of September 11, 2025, as law enforcement continued their investigation,
Tyler James Robinson, went to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with his parents and a
family friend to turn himself in.
Robinson’s mother stated the following to police. On September 11, 2025, the day after
the shooting, Robinson’s mother saw the photo of the shooter in the news and thought the shooter
looked like her son. Robinson’s mother called her son and asked him wher e he was. He said he
was at home sick and that he had also been at home sick on September 10 th. Robinson’s mother
expressed concern to her husband that the suspected shooter looked like Robinson. Robinson’s
father agreed.
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Robinson’s mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more
political and had started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro -gay and trans -rights oriented.
She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning
genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between
Robinson and his father, who have very different political views. In one conversation before the
shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kir k would be holding an event at UVU, which
Robinson said was a “stupid venue” for the event. Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate.
Robinson’s father reported that when his wife showed him the surveillance image of the
suspected shooter in the news, he agreed that it looked like their son. He also believed that the rifle
that police suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was g iven to his son as a gift. As a result,
Robinson’s father contacted his son and asked him to send a photo of the rifle. Robinson did not
respond. However, Robinson’s father spoke on the phone with Robinson. Robinson implied that
he planned to take his own life. Robinson’s parents were able to convince him to meet at their
home.
As they discussed the situation, Robinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that
he couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it. When asked why he did it, Robinson explained
there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate . They talked about
Robinson turning himself in and convinced Robinson to speak with a family friend who is a retired
deputy sheriff. At Robinson’s father’s request, the family friend met with Robinson and his parents
and convinced Robinson to turn himsel f in.
The family friend spoke to police and reported telling Robinson that it would be best if he
brought all evidence with him to the sheriff’s office to avoid police having to search his parent’s
home. The family friend also asked Robinson if he had any clothe s that were related to what he
did. Robinson replied that he had disposed of the clothes in different areas.
The Roommate.
Police interviewed Robinson’s roommate, a biological male who was involved in a
romantic relationship with Robinson. The roommate told police that the roommate received
messages from Robinson about the shooting and provided those messages to police.
On September 10, 202 5, the roommate received a text message from Robinson which said,
“drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard.” The roommate looked under the keyboard
and found a note that stated, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take
it.” Police found a photograph of this note.
The following text exchange then took place.
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After reading the note, the roommate responded, “What?????????????? You’re joking,
right????”
Robinson: I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet.
Shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To
be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry
to involve you.
Roommate: you weren’t the one who did it right????
Robinson: I am, I’m sorry
Roommate: I thought they caught the person?
Robinson: no, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in
similar clothing. I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly
after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost
enough to get out, but theres one vehicl e lingering.
Roommate: Why?
Robinson: Why did I do it?
Roommate: Yeah
Robinson: I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able
to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to
retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything
about them finding it.
…
Roommate: How long have you been planning this?
Robinson: a bit over a week I believe. I can get close to it but there is a squad car
parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna
chance it
…
Robinson: I’m wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my
vehicle. … I’m worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back
grandpas rifle … idek if it had a serial number, but it wouldn’t trace to me.
I worry about prints I had to leave i t in a bush where I changed outfits.
didn’t have the ability or time to bring it with. … I might have to abandon
it and hope they don’t find prints. how the fuck will I explain losing it to
my old man. …
only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel. …
remember how I was engraving bullets? The fuckin messages are mostly a
big meme, if I see “notices bulge uwu” on fox new I might have a stroke
alright im gonna have to leave it, that really fucking sucks. …
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judging from today I’d say grandpas gun does just fine idk. I think that
was a $2k scope ; -;
…
Robinson: delete this exchange
Robinson: my dad wants photos of the rifle … he says grandpa wants to know
who has what, the feds released a photo of the rifle, and it is very
unique. Hes calling me rn, not answering.
…
Robinson: since trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard maga.
…
Robinson: Im gonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a
deputy for the sheriff.
Robinson: you are all I worry about love
Roommate: I’m much more worried about you
Robinson: don’t talk to the media please. don’t take any interviews or make
any comments. … if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer
and stay silent
The Search of Robinson’s Residence.
Police executed a search warrant on Robinson’s residence. During that search, police
discovered a shell casing with etchings like the etchings found on the shells in the rifle near
UVU. Police also found several targets with bullet holes in Robinson’s home.
Count 1: Aggravated Murder pertains to Robinson’s shooting and killing of Charlie Kirk in a
manner that exposed others, in addition to Mr. Kirk, to a great risk of death.
Count 2 Felony Discharge of a Firearm pertains to Robinson’s shooting toward Mr. Kirk,
knowing that doing so would endanger those in the bullet’s path. The shot caused serious bodily
injury to Mr. Kirk, ultimately resulting in his death.
Count 3: Obstructing Justice pertains to Robinson’s removal and hiding of the rifle he used to
shoot Mr. Kirk.
Count 4: Obstructing Justice pertains to Robinson’s removal and hiding of the clothing he wore
when he shot Mr. Kirk.
Count 5: Witness Tampering pertains to Robinson’s statement to his roommate telling hi s
roommate to delete their text exchange that followed the shooting.
Count 6: Witness Tampering pertains to Robinson’s statement to his roommate telling the
roommate , “if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent.”
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Count 7: Violence Offense Committed in the Presence of a Child pertains to Robinson’s shooting
of Mr. Kirk in the presence of children under the age of 14 who were visible at the event.
Based upon evidence received from Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigations, I
have reason to believe the defendant committed the offense(s) as charged herein.
Authorized for presentment and filing on September 16, 2025.
UTAH COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
Sworn to by:
JEFFREY S. GRAY
Utah County Attorney