A roommate who lived with the man charged in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk handed police incriminating messages that helped prompt the suspect’s arrest, an affidavit and local reporting show.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office affidavit says investigators recovered messages indicating the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, discussed retrieving and concealing a rifle, monitoring the area where it was hidden and changing clothes. Robinson was arrested Thursday evening on charges that include murder, obstruction and felony firearm counts, the affidavit said. Authorities found a Mauser .30-06 rifle wrapped in a towel in wooded brush near the Utah Valley University campus shortly after Wednesday’s shooting.
Daily Mail identified the roommate who gave police the messages as 22-year-old Lance Twiggs of Saint George; the affidavit filed by Utah Attorney General’s officer Brian Davis did not name the roommate. The filing describes the contact who provided the messages as having turned them over to investigators after the shooting at the university, saying the messages described leaving a rifle in a bush, wrapping it in a towel, references to engraving bullets and mentions of a scope. The affidavit also noted messages saying the sender had changed outfits.
Family members of Twiggs declined to confirm several details reported by other outlets, including reports that Robinson had been living with a transgender partner and that any motive for the attack was tied to transgender-related issues. Twiggs’s grandfather, Jerry Twiggs, told Daily Mail he was unsure about those reports and said he had not met Robinson. Twiggs’s father, identified as Tyler, said the family would not comment.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed a motive for the shooting. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told the Wall Street Journal that Robinson was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” a comment the governor made in separate reporting; law enforcement has not tied a confirmed ideological motive to the case in court filings released so far.
Robinson and Twiggs lived in a three-bedroom apartment at the Fossil Hills housing complex in Saint George, according to social media posts and a real-estate listing for the property. The affidavit says the messages that led to the arrest were exchanged on Discord, an online chat platform popular among gamers. Reporting from the area and social-media accounts depict both men as participants in gaming communities; Robinson was also enrolled in an electrician training program at a local technical college.
Neighbors told reporters that police arrived at the housing complex early Friday and conducted a forensic search of the apartment and surrounding property. Investigators were seen removing evidence in paper bags and other containers. One neighbor said investigators photographed the exterior and worked inside the residence while others watched from behind police tape. Several neighbors described Robinson as reclusive or nervous in interactions before the shooting.
The affidavit links the messages provided by the roommate to the rifle recovered near the campus and to other evidence investigators say they have collected. It does not accuse the roommate of involvement in the shooting. Police have described the recovered firearm and other items in court filings as part of the evidence supporting the murder and related charges against Robinson.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Wednesday at an event at Utah Valley University. Local and federal investigators continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the attack, gather forensic evidence and review communications to establish a clearer timeline and motive. Prosecutors will decide whether to file additional charges as the investigation proceeds.
Public records show Robinson attended Pine View High School and later enrolled briefly at Utah State University on a scholarship before studying in a technical college electrical apprenticeship program in Saint George. Additional interviews and records cited by local outlets describe a circle of friends connected through online gaming and messaging platforms.
Law enforcement has urged anyone with additional information to contact authorities as the investigation continues. Court proceedings related to Robinson’s arrest and the charges filed against him are pending, and officials have said they will release further details as they are able to do so in accordance with the ongoing investigation.