Who is Tyler Robinson? What we know about Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk, will make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon. He is currently being held in a special housing unit at Utah County Jail.

Kirk, a conservative influencer and the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event on the Utah Valley University campus.

After a bolt-action rifle was discovered near the campus, and security camera footage was released, Robinson’s identity was revealed, leading to his arrest on the evening of Sept. 11. 

Robinson is a Utah native

Robinson was arrested in Washington County, Utah, on aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; felony discharge of a firearm – causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony; and obstruction of justice – capital/first-degree felony conduct, a second-degree felony.

ABC4’s Southern Utah reporter, Cannon Secrist, confirmed with residents in the area that Robinson was born and raised in Utah.

Kristin Schwiermann, a neighbor of the Robinson family, was a custodian at Tyler’s elementary school and watched him grow up. She also knew him from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additionally, Utah State University in Logan confirmed that Robinson was a student at the school for one semester in 2021. Dixie Technical College in St. George then confirmed that Robinson was a current third-year student in their electrical apprenticeship program.

Robinson had a romantic relationship with roommate

According to The Hill, Gov. Spencer Cox said on Sunday that Robinson was in a romantic relationship with his roommate. Cox said that the roommate is cooperating with law enforcement.

The Hill reported that the roommate is transgender, transitioning from male to female.

Family and friends confirmed that Robinson comes from a conservative family, but his ideologies were different from those of his family, according to The Hill.

Cox also stated that Robinson’s family reported that Tyler had become more politically involved in recent years.

Inscriptions of alleged bullets

Four bullet casings were found with inscriptions near the alleged assassin’s rifle. The inscriptions read:

“Notices Buldge OWO what’s this?”, “hey fascist! CATCH!” with the following symbols: up arrow, right arrow, and three down arrows, “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao.”, and “If you read This, you are GAY Lmao.”

The inscriptions seemed to reference “meme” culture and anti-fascist resistance.

Case so far

Robinson’s initial appearance is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The hearing will be virtual, and Robinson will appear remotely. Governor Spencer Cox (R-Utah) has vowed that the shooter could face the death penalty.

The Utah County Attorney’s Office has until Tuesday to officially file charges against Robinson. A spokesperson for the attorney’s office said charges will be filed on Tuesday and a press conference will be held that afternoon. The attorney’s office is going through all the evidence provided by the police so far to determine the appropriate charges.