A gray Dodge Challenger parked in the driveway of Tyler Robinson’s family home in Washington, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Robinson reportedly drove a gray Dodge Challenger to UVU on the day he is alleged to have assassinated Charlie Kirk. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

Eventually, he allegedly wrote that, “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 (sic) rifle.”

Hours after the shooting, an officer standing watch over the perimeter “made contact” with Robinson nearby. He allegedly told the officer he needed to get something from near the garage, according to the source.

That wasn’t deemed suspicious at the time because hundreds of people had fled in a panic after the shooting, and many of them left belongings behind. But the officer did a routine check on Robinson’s plate, which investigators saw in the system later, once they had identified him as a potential suspect, placing him in the area, the source said.

Prosecutors sent the gun to a crime lab for testing, and allegedly found DNA consistent with Robinson’s on the gun, on the towel it was wrapped in, and on three of the four rounds inside.

Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed.  (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

Robinson faces charges including aggravated murder, which carries the potential death penalty if convicted, felony discharge of a firearm, witness tampering and obstruction.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at an event as part of a national speaking tour and sponsored by the campus chapter of the organization, which promotes conservative principles among students across the country.

He was a married father of two.