From 'Kirk is full of hate' to 'Hey, fascist! Catch!' - Who is Tyler Robinson?
Details about Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested in relation to the fatal shooting of conervative activist Charlie Kirk, have begun to emerge.
He is the oldest of three sons, does not appear to have a prior criminal record and his social media accounts comprise of family pictures.
How, then, did Tyler Robinson turn from a young, educated man into a suspect in a "political assassination" as it was described by authorities?
The 22-year-old Tyler Robinson grew up in a suburban community of Washington in Utah, not far from Utah Valley University where Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck in front of hundreds of students and supporters.
A high-scoring student and son of proud parents, Tyler Robinson earned a scholarship to attend Utah State University after graduating from Pine View High school in St George in 2021. This was according to a video posted by his mother where he reads his acceptance letter. Robinson latter dropped out after the first semester, the university confirmed.
In terms of his voting record, Robinson is registered as an unaffiliated voter and did not vote in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
A family member told investigators, however, that he “had become more political in recent years,” according to Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Friday. The family member also told authorities that during a recent family dinner that he brought up what would become Kirk's fateful upcoming event in Utah.
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate,” said Cox.
Testimonies and evidence
The bolt-action rifle left near the campus where Kirk was shot, had various phrases engraved on the bullet casings, including “Hey, fascist, catch!”, as well as “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao,” a lyric from a famous Italian anti-fascist song. Some also appeared to borrow from online memes, reading “If you are reading this, you are gay LMAO”.
Prior to his arrest, a family member reached out to a family friend who then called the authorities, informing them that Robinson had “confessed or implied that he had committed the incident”. He was then taken into custody 33 hours after the murder, at 10pm local time on Thursday night.
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