FBI Links Suspect’s DNA To Kirk Assassination Weapon

FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday morning that DNA linked to the weapon believed to have been used to assassinate Charlie Kirk last week matches that of the suspected killer. 

Patel made the announcement during an interview with “Fox & Friends,” where he gave an update on the investigation into Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University. Patel said that DNA taken from a towel wrapped around the rifle believed to have been used to shoot Kirk matched that of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man who has been arrested for killing Kirk. 

“I can report today that the DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody,” Patel said. 

????BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel confirms DNA from the towel wrapped around the suspected assassination weapon — and from a screwdriver left on the UVU rooftop — both match the suspect already in custody. pic.twitter.com/1PNuhNrIlW

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 15, 2025

The screwdriver was found on the roof of the Utah Valley University building, where investigators say that Robinson fired a single bullet that killed Kirk as he was holding a campus event. Video footage released by law enforcement shows a man running across the roof of the building shortly after shots were fired. 

The rifle used in the fatal shooting was found hidden in the woods a short distance from campus. Ammunition was found with inscriptions related to anti-fascist ideology.  

“My job as FBI director is not to speak to motive, it’s to speak to the facts. And that’s what I’m going to do. His family has collectively told investigators that he subscribed to left-wing ideology and even more so in these last couple of years,” Patel added. 

Patel said that investigators had a text message where Robinson “claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was going to do it, because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.”

When asked why the message was sent to the person who didn’t take action, Patel said that the investigation was ongoing and that they didn’t have an answer yet. 

Patel also confirmed that Robinson was not cooperating with law enforcement. Investigators previously said that he admitted to his father that he had shot Kirk and peacefully turned himself in at the urging of his father and a family friend. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has said that the death penalty will be pursued if Robinson is convicted.