Utah Governor Spencer Cox attends a press conference after U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025.
Jim Urquhart | Reuters
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday that the man arrested in connection with the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk is “not cooperating” with authorities, days after he was booked into Utah County Jail.
While Cox said on ABC News’ “This Week” that the suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, is not cooperating, “all the people around him are.”
The governor’s comments come after the 22-year-old was arrested Friday after a manhunt that spanned more than 30 hours, and ultimately concluded when a family friend of the suspect contacted authorities.
The fatal shooting of Kirk, which occurred while he was speaking at a rally at Utah Valley University, has rattled the nation.
“If your view of America is not shaken right now, then there’s something wrong with you,” Cox said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“This is a direct assault on America,” he continued.
Investigators are still piecing together a motive for the killing. Cox said that the suspect participated frequently in gaming and internet culture.
“Friends have confirmed that there was that deep, dark internet, Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet, where this person was going deep,” Cox said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“You saw that on the casings. I didn’t have any idea what those inscriptions meant, but they are certainly the meme-ification that is happening in our society today.”
A number of casings found with the rifle allegedly used in the shooting were engraved with messages, including one that said, “hey fascist! CATCH!”
The governor on Sunday also confirmed a New York Times report that said that Robinson had communicated on the messaging platform Discord after the shooting.
“All we can confirm is that those conversations definitely were happening, and they did not believe it was actually him,” he said on ABC News.
“It was all joking until, until he, you know, until he admitted that it actually was him,” he continued.
As many questions remain over the grisly killing, Cox said that official charges in the case are expected to be filed on Tuesday, “and there will be much more evidence and information available then.”
“We’re interviewing all kinds of people, everyone that knows him, and trying to learn more about what that motive actually was,” he said.
Cox also confirmed reports that investigators have interviewed Robinson’s roommate, who was described as a “romantic partner” and is transitioning from male to female.
“This partner has been incredibly cooperative, had no idea that this was happening, and is working with investigators right now,” Cox said on CNN.
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