Portrait of the shooter who shot Trump’s ally: A gifted student with scores in the top 1% of America

Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Charlie Kirk shooting, was arrested in Utah. The suspect had scored in the top 1% on his ACT but then dropped out of college, lived with his family and committed the serious incident.

The suspect in the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah. Authorities said Robinson had criticized Kirk in a recent conversation and was living with his family at the time of the incident.

Robinson was arrested on the evening of September 11 after a family friend called police, officials said on September 12 local time.

Investigators have not yet released an official motive. Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters that a family member told authorities that Robinson had recently mentioned Kirk’s appearance at Utah Valley University, where he was shot on Tuesday.

“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the views he expressed,” Cox said.

A family member also said Robinson had become more interested in politics in recent years. Authorities said Robinson had carved what appeared to be anti-fascist messages into bullet casings found with the suspected murder weapon.

Robinson was arrested on charges of aggravated murder and other crimes. Robinson has no criminal record, according to state records reviewed by Reuters.

The suspect was a registered voter but was not affiliated with any political party. Robinson is currently listed as an “inactive voter,” meaning he did not vote in last year’s presidential election, when Republican Donald Trump defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Robinson graduated from Pine View High School in St. George, Utah, in 2021. A graduation video posted online shows him walking across the stage holding his diploma as the audience cheered.

That fall, Robinson attended Utah State University in Logan for a semester, the school confirmed to Reuters. It is unclear why he dropped out afterward.

In a video posted on Facebook by Robinson’s mother, she can be seen reading aloud a letter announcing her acceptance to Utah State University on a full four-year scholarship, as she cheers. Another post reveals that Robinson scored a 34 on the ACT, a standardized college entrance exam, in the top 1% of students according to the Princeton Review.

At the time of his arrest, Robinson lived with his family in Washington County, a southwestern area of ​​Utah near the Nevada border, according to Gov. Cox.

Facebook posts

Robinson’s mother’s Facebook posts—most of which were deleted on Sept. 12—were mostly family-oriented: chronicling trips to Alaska, the Caribbean, and Disneyland; celebrating school plays, Halloween, and new bunnies; and expressing pride as her three sons progressed through the grades. None of the posts were political.

Some photos show Robinson and his brothers occasionally posing with guns, which is not uncommon in a state with relatively lax gun control laws.

“Leaving without you is one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time,” Robinson’s mother wrote in a post about helping her son move to college in 2021. “He’s so excited to start his new journey and it’s going to be an amazing experience!”

On Thursday evening, Cox said, a Robinson family member called a friend who then notified the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, providing information that the suspect had confessed or hinted at committing the shooting.

Robinson’s roommate also showed police messages the suspect sent via the Discord platform, describing how he left a rifle in the bushes wrapped in a towel — matching the weapon recovered by authorities in the woods near the shooting scene.

Robinson is currently being held in the Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork, about 12 miles from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot. He has not yet been formally charged.

The man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah, who had lived with his parents “for a long time,” according to authorities.

Robinson was arrested on September 12, after a family member recognized him from surveillance camera footage — a development investigators called pivotal in ending the nationwide manhunt.

That family member is believed to be Robinson’s father, and he encouraged his son to turn himself in, according to CBS News – BBC’s US partner – citing two law enforcement sources. The father then allegedly contacted a family friend, who alerted the sheriff’s office.

At a press conference announcing the arrest on September 12, FBI officials declined to provide information about Robinson’s background, political leanings or possible motives, saying the investigation was ongoing.

“We are confident that we have the right person in custody, but we are still working to fully establish who he is and why he acted the way he did,” an FBI spokesman said.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said a family member interviewed said Robinson had become “more interested in politics” in recent years.

The relative also said that during a dinner conversation before the attack, Robinson discussed Charlie Kirk’s upcoming event at Utah Valley University (UVU), according to Cox.

“They talked about why they didn’t like him [Kirk] and the views he held,” Mr Cox said of that exchange.

A BBC check of public records shows Robinson was previously registered as an unaffiliated voter in Utah. His father and mother, Matthew Carl Robinson and Amber Denise Robinson, are both Republicans, according to state records.

Robinson was not a student at UVU, where the shooting occurred.

Tyler James Robinson was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College, according to a statement from the Utah Board of Higher Education.

“He previously attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021 and earned dual credits through Utah Tech during his high school years from 2019 to 2021,” the statement added.

Social media accounts show that Robinson’s father ran a countertop and cabinet installation business and his mother was a social worker. The family was Mormon and active in their local church.

Investigators said Robinson appeared to be heavily influenced by online culture, based on inscriptions found on bullet casings linked to the case.

Two shell casings bore what appeared to be internet pranks. One bore the words: “notices bulges OwO what’s this?”, possibly a reference to a “copypasta.” Another unfired shell bore the words: “If you read this, you are gay lmao” – also a popular trolling trope.

Meanwhile, some of the shell casings appeared to show sympathy for Antifa – the anti-fascist movement, which includes far-left activists who have often protested against Mr Trump’s policies and far-right groups over the past decade.

An unfired shell casing bears the words: “Hey fascist! Catch!” and a series of arrow symbols: up, right and three down. The three down arrows could be an anti-fascist symbol. The entire sequence of arrows could be related to a key combination in a video game – but this has not been clearly confirmed and the authorities have not released specific images.

Another shell is engraved with the lyrics to “Bella Ciao,” a popular song praising anti-fascist resistance fighters in World War II Italy.

Authorities said Robinson also appears to have been on Discord — a social media platform primarily for gamers but now used by many other communities.

Robinson’s roommate allegedly showed investigators a series of Discord messages from an account named “Tyler” that included references to a rifle “drop point” and instructions on how to retrieve and hide the weapon.

Discord later issued a statement saying the suspect’s account had been locked.

“We have removed the suspect’s account for violating Discord’s off-platform behavior policy.”

Robinson is currently being held in custody while prosecutors prepare formal charges.

The investigation into the suspect’s background, motive and possible links to organisations is ongoing – and the case is being described by authorities as one of the most serious political assassinations in recent US history.