WASHINGTON (AP) — Relatives of the young man from Utah accused of shooting Charlie Kirk informed authorities that he had recently become “more political” and viewed the Trump ally as someone who spreads hate, officials reported.
Tyler James Robinson, 22, from Washington, Utah, faces charges including aggravated murder and the felony discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, as well as obstruction of justice. These are outlined in a court-filed probable cause statement released Friday. A judge has ruled he remain detained without bail.
Utah state records indicate Robinson is a registered voter without party affiliation. He is noted as inactive, having not participated in voting during the last two general elections.
State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving him.
The address in the probable cause statement corresponds to his parents’ six-bedroom house. His parents own a granite countertop business and are registered Republicans.
As of Friday, it was unclear if Robinson had legal counsel to speak for him. Family members, including his parents, did not respond to messages left seeking comment.
According to social media, Robinson has two younger siblings, and his parents have been married for roughly 25 years. The family resides in a suburb of St. George, located about three and a half hours from Utah Valley University, where authorities claim Robinson shot 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.
