The alarming shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has captured the nation, and the manhunt to find his killer has come to an end. Authorities report that they have identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, a native of Utah, who apparently acted alone to carry out the act.
As seen in Newsweek, Tyler Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was a lifelong resident of the state. According to still-developing reports, Robinson confessed to the Kirk shooting to his father and to their family priest, with the father turning in his son to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as authorities continued their investigation near Utah Valley University in the town of Orem on Thursday (September 11).
The Deseret News of Salt Lake City added in its reporting other details regarding Robinson, his family, and more. The outlet writes that Robinson’s family shared with investigators that he had become more politically engaged in recent years, with a particular level of sharp criticism towards Kirk and his ideology.
The outlet also shared that bullet casings and unused bullets that were inside the assumed murder weapon were emblazoned with words such as “Fascist cartch” and “If you read this, you are gay, lmao.”
Robinson’s father was reported to be a 27-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and is a registered Republican voter. Robinson’s mother’s political affiliation was not publicly shared in the outlets we’ve perused, although it was stated on social media that she, too, voted Republican. The younger Robinson, who attended Utah Valley briefly in 2021, was reportedly a non-party voter.
As details continue to emerge in the coming days, there will be new developments that we’ll share at that time. Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox shared statements regarding the arrest on Friday (September 12), and stated on the night of the shooting that the political climate in America has become tense.
What is curious is that President Donald Trump and GOP members of Congress are suggesting that the killing of Charlie Kirk was part of some nefarious Democratic Party plot, despite little in the way of evidence linking them to this event. There has not been a retraction made by conservative pundits who also parroted these unfounded claims.
What is also true is that Kirk’s acerbic stance was popular among young, white conservatives who often gathered under the banner of their shared values and Christian faith, yet Kirk often had little tolerance for anyone outside of his peer group.
On X, we’ve gathered reactions to Tyler Robinson’s arrest in Utah. Check out those responses below.
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Photo: Getty
