Weapons & Guns

11:26 AM PT -- Prosecutors officially slapped alleged Charlie Kirk murderer Tyler Robinson with 7 criminal charges ... including aggravated murder.

Robinson is facing 6 felony charges and one misdemeanor. Prosecutors said during the news conference they intend to seek the death penalty.

The other charges ... felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of tampering with a witness, and a misdemeanor count of violent offense committed in the presence of a child.

Utah law enforcement personnel are set to hold a press conference Tuesday after charges were filed against Tyler Robinson, who is suspected of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk ... officials are expected to give details on each of the counts.

This update comes less than a week after Robinson was apprehended as the main suspect in the conservative pundit's assassination ... he was booked on suspicion of committing 3 crimes in the case, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury.

Robinson was formally charged Tuesday ... with Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray previously noting that they're in the "very early stages" of the investigation.

The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk looks like he confessed to the murder in an online chat ... telling folks "It was me" before surrendering to police.

Tyler Robinson sent a message from his Discord account Thursday, stating ... "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this" ... according to The Washington Post.

Law enforcement arrested Robinson about two hours after the alleged message was sent.

Vice President J.D. Vance started railing against far left "lunatics" towards the end of his tribute to Charlie Kirk ... getting emotional as he hosted his late friend's super popular radio show days after Kirk was assassinated.

Vance took the reins of "The Charlie Kirk Show" broadcast and podcast Monday ... sitting down in front of the microphone from the White House and going on an epic rant about what his boss, President Trump, likes to call the "radical left."

The veep said something's gone really wrong with the far left and claimed it was a "statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left."

Taylor Swift snuck into a football stadium to watch her fiancé Travis Kelce at work ... and it looks like she used a bullet-resistant portable shield to evade detection following Charlie Kirk's very public murder.

Swifties are running with an interesting theory online after Taylor kept an extremely low profile at Sunday's game between Travis' Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles ... her fans think she was behind a bulletproof barrier that was seen rolling through the bowels of Arrowhead Stadium in K.C.

Check out the video ... there's a bunch of security guards and other staffers walking with the rolling screen and they're clearly hiding someone from being seen in public.

Two people are in police custody after allegedly trying to blow up a local TV news van in Utah.

An explosives device was found under a news van belonging to KSTU FOX13 News Utah and the device "had been lit but failed to function as designed" ... according to KUTV, citing court records.

The explosives device was reportedly found Friday in Salt Lake City ... and the suspects were busted after FBI agents and bomb squads from local law enforcement descended on a residence in Magna, Utah, a city just to the northwest of Salt Lake City.

The suspected killer of Charlie Kirk is in even more hot water ... because there's new DNA evidence linking him to the crime as well as a note written by him threatening to kill the conservative activist, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Patel made an appearance Monday on "Fox & Friends" and gave an update on the investigation into the fatal shooting of Kirk last week as he was holding an event at Utah Valley University. According to the FBI, Tyler Robinson used a rifle to fire a single shot that hit Kirk in the neck while Charlie was onstage taking questions from the crowd.

TMZ reported Robinson's dad recognized his son from suspect photos released by the FBI and he contacted a youth pastor who works with the U.S. Marshals, leading to Tyler's arrest.

Erika Kirk -- the wife of Charlie Kirk -- spoke for the first time since he was killed at Utah Valley University ... and, she promised she will ensure his undying legacy.

Mrs. Kirk began her comments by thanking law enforcement for taking suspect Tyler Robinson into custody on Friday ... while also thanking Turning Point USA staff for providing stability after Charlie's death.

Erika became emotional during the speech ... talking about how much Charlie loved speaking to his many fans -- before showing appreciation for President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. She was especially grateful to the VP and his wife, Usha, for escorting Kirk's body back to his home in Arizona.

Tyler Robinson's classmate is speaking out in the aftermath of his arrest in connection with Charlie Kirk's death ... sharing that the kid he remembers was a smart and goofy one, not a possible cold-hearted killer.

We caught up with the suspected shooter's classmate -- who chose to remain anonymous -- on "TMZ Live" Friday, mere hours after Robinson was apprehended and named as the main suspect in the fatal shooting of the conservative pundit.

And, as the classmate told us, he found the news "extremely shocking," as he couldn't believe someone he went to middle school and high school with could possibly be culpable for this kind of violence.

Cenk Uygur -- host of "The Young Turks" podcast -- says political violence needs to end ... and, he's passionately ripping extremists on both sides.

The progressive political commentator who co-founded the political action committee Justice Democrats joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to address Charlie Kirk's assassination and its impact on our society going forward.

Uygur talked about how some on the left had a problem with him grabbing a beer with Kirk after they disagreed on a host of contentious issues, but he says it's essential to remain civilized ... especially when you vehemently disagree with someone, like he did with Kirk.

The person of interest in the Charlie Kirk assassination walked by several neighborhood cameras -- as the FBI said -- and TMZ has video that appears to show him walking toward the Utah campus where Kirk was shot ... while concealing his weapon.

TMZ obtained chilling video that shows a man dressed in all black matching the description of the FBI's person of interest hobbling down a residential street Wednesday in Orem, Utah at 11:49 AM ... heading toward the Utah Valley University campus just a couple of blocks away.

Remember, the FBI has said the individual arrived on campus at 11:52 AM.

After the shooting -- at 12:29 PM, just 6 minutes after Charlie was shot and as campus is being cleared -- you see students walking in the opposite direction, and in the background, in an unpaved area behind some homes, there's someone dressed in black running through a backyard.

Everyone else in the video is calmly walking down the paved road away from the scene.

Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter scrawled political messages on the equipment brought to the murder scene ... expressing support for the transgender community while making antifascist remarks.

A bulletin -- posted online by conservative commentator Steven Crowder -- was sent around to agents in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. We've confirmed the authenticity of the bulletin with our federal law enforcement sources.

In the message, the ATF claims "All cartridges have engraved wording on them, expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology." It does not get more specific as to what the messages say.

The adolescent shooter who pumped bullets into 2 fellow classmates in Colorado is a 16-year-old who looks even younger ... a kid who was reportedly "radicalized."

Desmond Holly was identified by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office as the pistol-packing assailant who shot the students Wednesday at Evergreen High School, according to police. The Sheriff posted a pic showing Holly's boyish mug with sandy hair and acne on his face.

Cops say Holly shot one victim inside the school and the other outside before turning the revolver on himself and ending his short life.

Charlie Kirk's shooting almost didn't seem real at first to one attendee ... who was in line to ask the conservative commentator a question when he was shot through the neck.

We spoke with Robert Carpenter, who went to the event Wednesday specifically to debate Kirk. Robert's not a Utah Valley University student ... he does on-the-street interviews with people -- and likes to ask UVU attendees questions when he's in town.

Carpenter says he and his buddy gave a woman in line $40 to cut her ... and, they were around fifth or sixth in line to ask a question.

Charlie Kirk's shooting death led to a hasty evacuation of the Utah Valley University campus ... and, a drone camera captured the deserted quad shortly after the incident.

New video taken from the sky shows the area ... first focused on the tent under which Kirk was sitting when he was shot in the neck at the school.

Trash and other debris sit scattered on the steps surrounding the pop-up canopy ... before the drone flies over to the roof where the shooter allegedly fired at Charlie, about 200 yards away.

The FBI has recovered a "high-powered bolt-action rifle" near the campus of Utah Valley University following the shooting death of Charlie Kirk at his "The American Comeback" tour stop on Wednesday.

Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge, revealed the news in a press conference Thursday morning, adding the weapon was located in a wooded area.

He also told media investigators have collected a palm imprint, a forearm imprint and a "footwear impression" belonging to the suspect -- a male -- that will be sent for analysis.

Charlie Kirk was loving every minute of his college campus tour, was in great spirits and never indicated he had any concerns about his personal safety ... according to a friend who talked to the conservative activist the day before he was fatally shot in the neck in Utah.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Charlie talked to a buddy for about 20 minutes over the phone Tuesday, and during the call Charlie was looking forward to his upcoming Turning Point USA events and speaking opportunities.

We're told Charlie never voiced any concerns about his safety while on the road ... and in extensive conversations with his friend, Kirk had never once spoken about his personal safety, at a public event or anywhere else.