Multiple U.S. media outlets reported Saturday that the suspect arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was living with a partner who turned over text messages to investigators, a development that police and federal officials have not publicly confirmed.
According to those reports, the partner — described in coverage as a person who was transitioning from male to female — handed over messages allegedly sent by the suspect after the shooting. The suspected gunman was identified by several outlets as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson; he was arrested late Thursday and is being held in custody, authorities have said. Officials have not released formal information on motive.
Reports said the roommate shared a three-bedroom apartment with Robinson in Utah and is co-operating with investigators, including the FBI. One outlet quoted a person familiar with the investigation as saying the texts included information about where a rifle left in a wooded area could be retrieved. That detail was described in news reports as based on messages the roommate provided to police.
Fox News reported that the roommate is "not considered a suspect," citing an unnamed source, and that the two were friends who played video games together. The roommate’s grandfather told the Daily Mail he would not confirm reports that a transgender-related motive was involved in the killing.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday while answering a question about transgender-related gun violence during an event at Utah Valley University that drew about 3,000 people, police and event organizers said. The shooting prompted immediate law enforcement response; authorities have said the investigation is ongoing and that they expect to release more information as it becomes available.
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, delivered a televised speech Friday in which she described her husband as "the perfect husband and father" and said, "My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children." In the address she said those she called "the evildoers responsible for my husband's assassination" had "no idea the fire you have ignited within his wife."
The episode has provoked reactions in multiple venues. In the United Kingdom, the Oxford Union said its incoming president, George Abaraonye, will face disciplinary proceedings after messages circulated in a student chat that referenced Kirk’s shooting.
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have not publicly confirmed the specific allegations about the roommate or the contents of the messages described in media reports, and prosecutors had not filed public charging documents detailing a motive as of Saturday. Officials have urged the public to allow investigators to complete their work and to defer to formal statements from police and prosecutors.
The investigation is being closely watched amid ongoing national debate over political violence, public safety at political events and discussions about transgender people and rights. Authorities have said they are following leads and will release additional information through official channels as the probe proceeds.