Authorities in the U.S. state of Utah said Friday that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was in custody in connection with the shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University (UVU).

Robinson was apprehended in Washington County after relatives helped identify him from images released by investigators, Utah Governor Spencer Cox told a news briefing in northern Utah's Orem city.

Cox said that a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them.

"Investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson, who stated Robinson had become more political in recent years," he said, thanking Robinson's family members for bringing him to law enforcement.

The governor said Robinson is not a UVU student and most recently attended Dixie Technical College in southern Utah.

At the briefing, officials said charges will follow additional forensic and digital analysis. They believe Robinson acted alone.

Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck as he was speaking to a large crowd at an outdoor "Prove Me Wrong" debate at UVU around midday Wednesday.