Diyar Guldogan
16 September 2025•Update: 16 September 2025
WASHINGTON
The man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk appears to have confessed to friends in a private online chat shortly before surrendering to law enforcement, The Washington Post reported Monday.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while addressing a group of students at Utah Valley University in the city of Orem, some 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested over the death of the right-wing influencer.
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all," said a message from an account belonging to Robinson on the online platform Discord.
“It was me at UVU yesterday. I’m sorry for all of this," he wrote, according to the Post, which cited two people familiar with the chat.
According to the report, the message was sent Thursday night, about two hours before officials said Robinson was taken into custody.
The message was sent from Robinson’s account to a small private group of online friends, the person said on condition of anonymity.
Discord is working closely with the FBI and local authorities, providing information about Robinson’s online activities on the platform, the person added, according to the report.
The Discord conversation shared with the Post shows members of the group chat reacting to Kirk’s shooting Wednesday — before the news broke that Robinson was allegedly involved.
The group included about 30 people, according to the person who provided screenshots to the newspaper.
“Charlie Kirk got shot,” one friend wrote Wednesday afternoon, according to an image of the messages.
“I just saw the video holy s---,” another user wrote about an hour and a half later, adding about Kirk: “Bro didn’t deserve to go out like that sad.”
The only response from Robinson’s account came Thursday with the message announcing “bad news.”
“I’m surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments,” the message, posted at 7.57 pm local time in Utah, continued. “Thanks for all the good times and laughs, you’ve all been so amazing, thank you all for everything.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday that DNA evidence collected from the scene of Kirk’s killing matches the suspect currently in custody.
Patel stressed that the FBI investigation remains ongoing, with agents continuing to interview witnesses and analyze forensic material, including cell phone data and DNA samples. Findings are being shared with local and federal prosecutors for charging decisions, he said.
