Has any law enforcement agency released surveillance video or bodycam footage related to the Charlie Kirk homicide?
Executive summary
No law enforcement agency has published body‑cam footage showing the moment of the Charlie Kirk homicide; federal authorities released surveillance video they said shows the shooter fleeing the scene, and local agencies have produced other related recordings but not a surrender video that some reporters sought [1] [2]. A KUTV 2News public‑records probe found the Washington County Sheriff’s Office says footage of the suspect turning himself in is not available—reporters were told it was deleted after a 30‑day retention period [2] [3].
1. What authorities have released: the fleeing‑shooter surveillance clip
The FBI published surveillance images and video early in the investigation that authorities said showed the shooter escaping the Utah Valley University campus; PBS noted the FBI posted photos and video and offered a reward in its public appeals [1]. Reporting in outlets such as The Guardian and PBS describes university surveillance helping investigators identify the suspect, including footage of the suspect’s car on campus the morning of the shooting [4] [1].
2. Bodycam and police videos that have surfaced — not of the shooting itself
Various police bodycam and dashcam recordings related to the suspect’s background or prior encounters have appeared in media reporting. Local outlets obtained a 2022 St. George crash bodycam showing Tyler Robinson speaking with officers; that footage is background material, not footage of the shooting or the surrender at the sheriff’s office [5]. National outlets also reported on bodycam showing arrests or interactions connected to other post‑shooting enforcement actions — for example, footage tied to arrests over social‑media posts after the killing — but these are separate from homicide scene bodycams [6] [7].
3. The missing surveillance claim: Washington County Sheriff’s Office and retention policy
KUTV’s 2News investigators filed public‑records requests for surveillance video of Tyler Robinson entering the Washington County Sheriff’s Office after the killing and say the sheriff’s office told them no applicable records exist because the footage was deleted after a 30‑day retention period [2] [3]. Conservative outlets amplified that finding as evidence of “missing” footage; KUTV’s reporting is the primary source cited for the retention explanation [8] [2].
4. What the reporting does not show: no confirmed bodycam of the shooting or surrender released
Available sources do not mention any law enforcement release of body‑worn camera footage that captures the assassination itself or a confirmed in‑custody surrender recording from inside the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Major coverage instead relies on cell‑phone and campus surveillance of the shooting and on the FBI’s public images of the suspect leaving the scene [9] [1] [4]. The specific claim that a sheriff’s office bodycam exists showing the surrender is not supported in the reporting cited; KUTV’s story states the office says footage is gone [2] [3].
5. Competing narratives and potential motivations
News organizations—local investigative teams, national outlets, and partisan sites—have emphasized different elements: investigative reporters focused on record requests and retention policies (KUTV), national outlets emphasized FBI‑released fleeing footage and how viral videos shaped the public record (PBS, The Guardian), and partisan sites framed the sheriff footage issue as suspicious or evidence of deliberate suppression [2] [1] [8]. Each outlet’s framing reflects editorial priorities: investigative accountability (KUTV), national security and evidence chain (PBS/Guardian), and political mobilization or grievance (partisan sites) [2] [1] [8].
6. What remains uncertain and why it matters
Key factual gaps remain: whether any additional internal camera footage ever existed at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, whether it was recorded offsite, and whether other agencies retain copies—available sources do not mention copies held by outside agencies. The existence or loss of a surrender video matters for questions of chain of custody and transparency in a high‑profile homicide, which explains why reporters pursued it and why the sheriff’s explanation about a 30‑day retention window became a focal point in subsequent coverage [2] [3].
7. Bottom line for readers and watchdogs
At this stage, law enforcement has released surveillance and investigative clips that helped identify and track the suspect’s movements around the time of the shooting, and some unrelated bodycam and police videos tied to the suspect’s past or to later arrests have been published — but reporting shows no released bodycam or surveillance footage of the suspect turning himself in at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office; the sheriff’s office told reporters the footage was deleted after the department’s 30‑day retention period [1] [2] [3]. Journalists and public‑records advocates will likely continue to press for clarifying records, and readers should weigh each outlet’s framing against the specific evidence cited [2] [8].