A former FBI agent who is now a professor at Utah Valley University is sounding the alarm that a rising trend of political violence is increasingly aimed at ordinary citizens, rather than just political leaders, following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on campus on September 10.
“The [Minneapolis] church shooting, the Charlie Kirk shooting, these are distinct,” stated Greg Rogers, who served in the FBI for three decades, much of which was as a SWAT sniper.
“These involve just regular folks being killed for political purposes, which, although not entirely unprecedented, is occurring more often,” he remarked. “We haven’t observed much of this…When considering political assassinations historically, and even recently, there’s John and Bobby Kennedy, Ronald Reagan was shot, George Wallace as a governor was shot. All of these were significant national political personalities. This, to me, differs greatly from ordinary citizens who are simply going about their lives and getting killed for their political beliefs.”
Former President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. His brother, Robert F. Kennedy, was a leading presidential contender when Sirhan Sirhan fatally shot him five years later. At Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday, his son, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was anticipated to be present with President Trump and other Cabinet members.
People flee after a gunshot was fired at U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via REUTERS)
“I’m often surprised by how parents find this challenging,” he remarked. “I mean, the straightforward reply is, ‘I cover your cellphone bills. I finance the Wi-Fi for your laptop. Thus, I have access to what you’re doing.'”
Rogers’ class resumed Thursday evening, when he opened up the class for discussions and reflection and skipped his planned lecture.
His course is normally focused on serial killers and criminal psychology, he said, adding that Kirk’s assassination will likely be dissected by criminal profilers.
“In this particular case, the stuff that he had written on his cartridges, all those sorts of things, his social media, mean a whole lot to a profiler about the type of defendant you’re dealing with,” he said.
Robinson faces charges including aggravated murder, which carries the potential death penalty in Utah. He may also face federal charges.
Booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
Kirk was a 31-year-old father of two. He co-founded Turning Point USA, a national conservative youth organization with chapters on hundreds of university campuses, and rose to prominence not just as a conservative speaker and commentator, but by debating people in person at schools around the U.S.
Turning Point’s UVU chapter had sponsored the event at which Kirk was speaking with an audience member when he was killed.
“You, of course, want your students to feel safe walking around campus and being back,” Rogers said. “And unfortunately, I think due to my career and everything I’ve seen, you can’t just say to them, oh, everything’s better because we caught the bad guy.”
