Authorities said Tyler Robinson used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop. He was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt. Photo / Getty Images
Authorities said Tyler Robinson used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop. He was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt. Photo / Getty Images
The suspect in the murder of prominent US conservative political activist Charlie Kirk has been formally charged with his murder, prosecutors in Utah have announced.
Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead last week during a speaking event on a Utah university campus. He wasthe founder of the influential conservative youth political group Turning Point USA.
Authorities said 22-year-old Tyler Robinson used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop. He was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt.
“After reviewing the evidence that law enforcement has collected thus far, I am... charging Tyler James Robinson, age 22 with...
aggravated murder, a capital offence, for intentionally or knowingly causing the death of Charlie Kirk under circumstances that created a great risk of death to others,” Utah County attorney Jeff Gray said.
Charlie Kirk died while addressing a crowd in Utah. Photo / Getty Images
Six other charges include obstruction of justice and witness tampering, allegedly for ordering his roommate to stay silent.
“I am filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty,” Gray said.
“I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently as county attorney based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime.”
Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, including strong criticism of the transgender rights movement.
A polarising figure, he often posted carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.
FBI director Kash Patel has been heavily criticised for his actions in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, including having quickly announced the arrest of a separate suspect, only to confirm they had been released two hours later.
Patel faced a grilling from a Senate panel on Tuesday that included bad-tempered exchanges with Democratic Senator Corey Booker.
Patel has come under fire from both the right and the left since Trump named him to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
On Monday, the White House said it would be pursuing an alleged left-wing “domestic terror movement” after Kirk’s killing, prompting alarm that such a campaign could be used to silence political dissent.
