WASHINGTON (AP) — Family members of the young Utah man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk told authorities he had recently become “more political” and saw the ally of President Donald Trump as a person spreading hate, according to authorities.
Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice, all felonies, according to a probable cause statement filed in court and released Friday. A judge ordered that he be held without bail.
Robinson is registered to vote but is not affiliated with a political party, according to Utah state records. He was also listed as inactive, meaning he had not voted in at least the last two general elections.
State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving him.
His listed address in the probable cause statement is the six-bedroom home of his parents, who own a granite countertop business and are registered to vote as Republicans.
It wasn’t immediately clear Friday whether Robinson had a defense lawyer who could comment on his behalf. Messages seeking comment left Friday with family members including his parents received no response.
Robinson has two younger brothers and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to social media posts. The family lives in a suburb of St. George, a city in the southern part of the state about a 3 1/2 hour drive from the Utah Valley University campus where authorities say Robinson shot and killed Kirk.
An honor roll student in high school who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests, he was admitted to Utah State in 2021 on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account. He attended for only one semester, according to a university spokesperson.
Robinson is currently enrolled as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.
Social media posts by Robinson’s mother reflect an active family with vacations to Disneyland, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Alaska. They frequently spent time outdoors — boating, fishing, riding ATVs, zip-lining and target shooting. A 2017 post shows the family visiting a military facility and posing with assault rifles. A young Robinson is shown smiling as he grips the handles of a 50-caliber heavy machine gun.
After graduating from high school in 2021, Robinson’s mother praised her eldest son for his smarts and academic success on her social media page, and both his parents helped him move into his dorm at Utah State that fall. She didn’t have any public Facebook posts after 2022.
The break in the case came after a family member of Robinson reached out to a family friend with information that Robinson had “confessed” or implied involvement in the shooting, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters Friday, shortly after Robinson was taken into custody.
Cox said it is believed that Robinson acted alone. Family members said Robinson “had become more political in recent years,” Cox said, describing a recent family dinner in which Robinson mentioned that Kirk planned to speak at UVU.
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said, referring to Robinson and an unnamed family member. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
Authorities then interviewed a friend of Robinson’s who showed them a series of messages on the social media platform Discord in which Robinson discussed obtaining a gun.
When authorities took him into custody, court records show, Robinson also was wearing clothing “consistent” with surveillance photographs of the person of interest.
Cox said ammunition found at the scene had engravings that reference meme culture and referred to fascism.
___ Mustian reported from New York. Associated Press journalists Brian Slodysko and Collin Binkley in Washington, Jack Brook in New Orleans, and Ali Swenson and Randy Herschaft in New York also contributed.
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This version corrects the source of some information to a probable cause statement, instead of charging documents.
