Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man arrested in the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at a Utah university event, has a grandmother who says authorities have the wrong person and that her grandson was not politically engaged.
Debbie Robinson, 69, who spoke to the Daily Mail, described her grandson as a "quiet, reserved" young man who "never, ever spoke politics" and said most of the family identifies as Republican. She said she was stunned by the charges and that she had never seen him with a gun. Law enforcement officials, however, have described a different picture in recent briefings as the investigation continues.
Authorities said Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night in southern Utah. Local law enforcement sources told media outlets that his father, Matt Robinson, a 27-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff's Department, confronted his son, secured him and then alerted authorities. Officials said Robinson will face charges that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted; prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges, and investigators have not publicly confirmed a motive.
The shooting occurred Wednesday during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, where Kirk, a high-profile conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point, was speaking. Kirk, 31, was struck by a single bullet and later died at a hospital. Videos from the scene showed attendees running for safety after the gunfire. Authorities have said the shot was fired from a distance of roughly 200 yards.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox detailed some evidence at a Thursday news conference, saying investigators recovered bullet casings that bore short inscriptions, and released surveillance footage that showed a figure on a rooftop leaping from a building and running into a nearby neighborhood after the shooting. Cox described three unfired casings and one fired casing with phrases that included political taunts, though he cautioned that the investigation was ongoing. Several people were detained earlier in the probe and later cleared, including an elderly man who was released after questioning, the FBI said.
Robinson's family background and social-media postings have drawn scrutiny. Debbie Robinson said her son voted for former President Donald Trump and that the family is broadly Republican. Family social-media photos cited by news outlets show Robinson as a child dressed as Trump for Halloween and in images with firearms, including one in which he posed with what appears to be an M2 Browning .50-caliber machine gun. Debbie Robinson maintained she had not seen him with guns and said she could not imagine him committing violence.
Law enforcement officials have said Robinson had discussed the event and his views on Kirk with family members. Authorities and the governor said Robinson had mentioned disliking Kirk at a recent family dinner and described Kirk as "full of hate and spreading hate," according to statements from officials. Media reports said Robinson was a student at Utah State University on a scholarship and lived with his family in Washington, Utah, roughly 260 miles south of Orem.
The arrest followed a more than 36-hour manhunt during which law enforcement released images of a person of interest wearing a black T-shirt with an eagle and American-flag motif. Authorities had offered a $100,000 reward during the search. Former President Donald Trump said on cable television that "someone very close" to the fugitive provided information leading to the arrest; he also ordered flags be flown at half-staff until Sunday evening in honor of Kirk and issued a public statement mourning the commentator.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that a different person briefly held by investigators after the shooting was released following interrogation, saying the FBI's investigation would continue. Federal, state and local agencies are cooperating on the probe, officials said.
Kirk, who founded the conservative student organization Turning Point USA and was a prominent online commentator, is survived by his wife and two young children. His death has drawn widespread attention within conservative political circles and renewed debate over security at campus political events.
Investigators have said they will continue to analyze ballistic evidence, surveillance footage and digital records. Officials cautioned that steps remain in the investigative and charging process and urged the public to rely on official briefings rather than speculation. The county attorney's office and federal prosecutors have not announced formal charges as of Friday, and authorities did not provide a timeline for when charges might be filed.