Prosecutors have released surveillance footage that they say shows the man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk running across a rooftop moments after the killing. The video, played on the second day of a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson in a Utah court, also appears to show the suspect jumping off the roof while holding an object. Robinson, 23, is accused of fatally shooting Kirk on 10 September 2025 as the conservative activist addressed an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University. The preliminary hearing, which is expected to continue all week, will determine whether there is sufficient evidence for Robinson to stand trial.
Prosecution witness David Hull, Utah's State Bureau of Investigation's lead investigator on the case, walked the court through the security footage on Tuesday. Hull said surveillance footage showed Robinson's vehicle entering a campus parking garage, before a man wearing a maroon shirt, Converse shoes and grey or olive shorts was seen walking across campus. The same man was later seen returning to campus, buying food from Chick-fil-A and heading into a wooded area near the university. When he reappeared on campus around 90 minutes before the shooting, the man was wearing different clothes and seemingly walking with a limp, according to the witness.
“New footage shows accused in Charlie Kirk killing on rooftop during shooting; widowed Erika Kirk offers a tissue in court.”
Footage then showed the suspect making his way to the Losee Building on the campus and rolling over a railing onto the rooftop. Shortly after the fatal shot rang out, the same man can be seen running across the roof, dropping down with an unknown object in his hands and making his way off campus, Hull testified. A rifle was later recovered "in the wooded area where we believe Mr Robinson entered the wooded area", Hull told the court.
The agent also said that in the early hours of 11 September, while a manhunt for Kirk's killer was underway, an officer near campus had made contact with Robinson and noted his licence plate. Robinson faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder in connection with the shooting. He has not yet entered a plea, and his lawyers have objected to much of the video evidence. Prosecutors in the case are seeking the death penalty.
The defence team, led by attorney Kathy Nester, has sought to exclude much of the evidence and have the death penalty taken off the table. In a poignant moment at the hearing, Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, offered a tissue to a sobbing woman as the bombshell evidence was displayed, according to reports. Erika Kirk had earlier come face-to-face in court with her husband's alleged killer.