Just hours before police moved in, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson reportedly sent a chilling message to friends on Discord — appearing to confess to the fatal shooting of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk.
Now, investigators say those online words could play a key role in the case.
A day of chaos and heartbreak after Charlie Kirk was struck by a single bullet while speaking at Utah Valley University, investigators say a key piece of the puzzle came not from a tip or a traffic camera, but from a group chat.
According to law enforcement and platform statements, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson — arrested 33 hours after the shooting — appears to have acknowledged the attack in a Discord message that read:
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.” That message, a company spokesperson told CBS News, came hours before Robinson was taken into custody.
Here’s what we know so far:
A crowded campus
Charlie Kirk was speaking at a Turning Point USA event at UVU in front of more than 3,000 people when a gunshot struck him in the neck.
He was rushed to hospital, and President Donald Trump later confirmed on Truth Social that Kirk — a high-profile conservative activist — had died. The event sent shockwaves across political circles and triggered an intense federal manhunt.
Investigators released surveillance photos and asked for the public’s help. Within roughly a day-and-a-half, authorities say, Robinson was located and arrested after someone “close” to him turned him in.
Discord chat that reads like a confession
While the FBI was circulating photos, multiple sources say Robinson and members of a more-than-20-person Discord group were trading messages that ranged from dark banter to what now looks like admission.
Discord is like a mix of email, text messaging, and group phone calls — all organized around shared interests.
Two people familiar with the chat confirmed to The Washington Post that the account believed to belong to Robinson wrote, “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”
A Discord spokesperson told CBS News the same message was found in the platform’s internal review.
Other exchanges from the group — cited by law enforcement — are chilling in their nonchalance. After users tagged Robinson and joked “wya 💀” (as investigators circulated images), one person typed, “Tyler killed Charlie!!!” Robinson reportedly didn’t flatly deny it. In one back-and-forth, a user quipped: “Whatever you do don’t go to a mcdonalds anytime soon,” referencing how another alleged political attacker was caught in a fast-food chain. Robinson’s alleged response: “Better also get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around.”
Near the end of the exchange, the account allegedly wrote what sounded like a plan to turn himself in: “im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments, thanks for all the good times and laughs, you’ve all been so amazing, thank you all for everything.”
Discord has said its internal inquiry found “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord,” and the company denied the platform was used to organize the attack.
”Well-mannered young man”
FBI Director Kash Patel said Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday, last week.
Utah officials have charged him with aggravated murder, obstruction and firearm offenses; Governor Spencer Cox announced the state will seek the death penalty.
Robinson grew up in a Republican family in St. George, Utah, a small town about three hours from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was fatally shot.
What exactly drove Robinson to get in his car, drive hours across the state, and fatally shoot Kirk remains unclear. Neighbors and former classmates remain in shock, remembering him as a smart, well-mannered young man.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News Robinson admitted to his father that he was the person in the FBI photos.
The father allegedly urged his son to turn himself in; Robinson reportedly said he would rather die by suicide. That exchange led the father to reach out for help — and ultimately to Robinson’s arrest after others intervened.
The governor added that authorities were still piecing together motive and interviewing anyone who knew Robinson.
Governor Cox has told national media that Robinson “has not confessed to authorities. He is not cooperating, but all the people around him are cooperating. And I think that’s very important.”
“Just not a fan. That’s all I can say,” Cox told CNN when asked about earlier comments that Robinson had been “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.” (Cox said that characterization came from people close to the suspect.)
“Only if I get a cut”
For now, the words pulled from that Discord thread — saved and shared between friends who may have thought they were joking — are part of the public record and part of what prosecutors will likely use to build their case.
As one friend in the chat suggested turning Robinson in for the $1.15 million reward, Robinson allegedly replied, “Only if I get a cut.” Dark, bewildering, and now central to a case that Americans everywhere are watching.
READ MORE
- Real truth behind person ‘making hand signals’ behind Charlie Kirk as got killed
- Bruce Willis’ wife makes heartbreaking divorce admission
