More details have emerged about how alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson was turned over to police while the manhunt for a suspect ensued.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby recounted receiving a call from a former law enforcement colleague who identified Robinson, aged 22, as the shooter. It was reported that Robinson was experiencing suicidal thoughts, but his parents managed to dissuade him from self-harm.
Brooksby said Robinson knew that it was “inevitable” that he would be caught and was afraid of a SWAT raid on his home. He was also afraid of being shot by the police, the sheriff said.
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
“He has obviously gotten progressively worse the last year or two,” the relative said, adding that he’s “always very angry.”
Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Kirk was hosting the first event in his The American Comeback tour last Wednesday when he was shot and killed.
A memorial honoring Kirk at the Timpanogos Regional Hospital is flooded with “We love you, Charlie” posters, flowers and American flags. More signs and flowers have been placed for Kirk on Utah Valley University’s campus. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)
Authorities say Robinson climbed onto the roof of the Losee Center at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and discharged one round from a rifle, striking Kirk in the neck.
Kirk, a conservative titan who traveled the country fostering debate and open dialogue with university students, was pronounced dead a short while later.
