USA TODAY National
WASHINGTON CITY, Utah — A former straight-A student from Utah is accused of shooting and killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk with a bullet inscribed with a niche online meme.
Those details emerged Friday, Sept. 12, after authorities announced the arrest of Tyler Robinson in Kirk’s slaying.
Robinson, 22, is accused of shooting Kirk in the neck during a public appearance at Utah Valley University, located in the city of Orem, on Sept. 10.
It’s not yet clear what changed in Robinson’s life leading up to the shooting, but family and friends said he had become more political and angry.
One of Robinson’s high school classmates, Xander Luke, said he “was politically active and outspoken about people’s rights.” The accused shooter “thought both political sides were contributing to a country being in a worse place and not improving the world,” Luke said.
The quiet street where Robinson lived with his parents is now the subject of intense scrutiny. Officers from the Washington City Police Department kept media and neighbors on the other side of the street.
Neighbors were largely tight-lipped about the family, but many of those who spoke with USA TODAY focused on the family’s faith – they are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are known as Mormons.
And that faith helped lead to Robinson’s capture.
A ‘minister’ and family members ‘who did the right thing’
President Donald Trump, who first announced the arrest (without naming Robinson) during a Fox and Friends interview on Sept. 12, said that a “person of faith” was involved with identifying the suspect.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters later in the morning that Robinson was taken into custody after a family member contacted a family friend, who then informed authorities that Robinson had "confessed to them or implied that he committed the incident."
Cox said: "his family and a friend helped to deliver him into the custody of law enforcement in Washington County.” The governor thanked family members "who did the right thing in this case." FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest occurred at 10 p.m. local time on Sept. 11.
Authorities tied Robinson to the crime through a review of online messages, interviews with his family members and friends and surveillance video. The messages included some sent on Discord, a popular online chatting platform. In a statement to USA TODAY, Discord disputed statements that the messages were sent on the chatting platform.
The announcement came a day after law enforcement released several images as well as a video showing the alleged gunman’s leap from a rooftop after the Sept. 10 attack. The FBI recovered what they believe to be the murder weapon, a high-powered bolt-action rifle, and several imprints on the roof where the gunman fired the one fatal shot.
The ‘quiet’ kid ‘became more political in recent years’
Robinson, who has no criminal history according to state records, attended high school in the neighboring city of St. George.
He is registered to vote, though he lacks a party affiliation. His parents are registered Republicans.
As of about 9 a.m. EDT on Sept. 12, the Facebook page for Tyler Robinson's mother was filled with celebrations of her son's milestones and accomplishments. The page depicted a tight-knit family where Tyler was the oldest of three sons.
Longtime neighbor Robert Sylvester told USA TODAY that the Robinson brothers grew up playing throughout the neighborhood as other kids did, sometimes doing foot races down their residential street. Sylvester described him as “quiet.”
The family is shown on vacations to the Grand Canyon and on outdoor excursions like fishing trips and shooting days.
Tyler wore a Trump-related Halloween costume in 2017, according to Amber’s Robinson’s Facebook page.
In August 2020, Amber Robinson posted what appears to be an ACT college aptitude test score for Tyler – 34 out of 36 – that would place him in the top 1% of test takers, according to recent averages. He received a $32,000 scholarship to Utah State University, she said.
Kristin Schwiermann, who has lived two doors down for the last 16 years, said she has known the suspect’s family for decades. A head custodian with the Washington County School District, she said she watched the boys grow up and often crossed paths with the family at church and school events. “He was always very quiet, had just a few friends,” she said. “I think he was more on the musical side, very smart.”
The eldest Robinson son graduated from Pine View High School in St. George in 2021, according to Amber Robinson's social media and video of the commencement ceremony on YouTube. He then “briefly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021,” the university said.
He later enrolled in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George. The Utah Board of Higher Education confirmed Sept. 12 that Robinson “is a third-year student” in the program.
But during those recent years, said Governor Cox, Robinson “had become more political.”
At the dinner table before Kirk came to Utah Valley University for the event at which he was killed, Tyler Robinson talked in disparaging terms about the conservative activist, Cox said at the news briefing.
Also, Cox said, a family member interviewed by authorities referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to Sept. 10, “and in the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU.”
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
Schwiermann said she believes social media may have played a role in shaping his views. “There’s just too much hate out there,” she said. “I know he wasn’t taught those things. I have no hate for him. Even though I loved Charlie Kirk, I’d rather try to understand what was going on in his mind.”
Hunting rifle’s bullets engraved with meme-influenced messages
That online influence seemingly appeared in the messages that authorities allege Robinson inscribed on the ammunition used in the killing.
The Mauser 98 .30-06 bolt action rifle that law enforcement officials said was used to kill Kirk had a spent cartridge in the chamber and three unfired bullets in its magazine.
FBI forensics agents recovered the Mauser in a wooded area behind Utah Valley University’s Losee building, from which the fatal shot was fired.
The fired casing, according to Cox, read, “Notices bulges OwO What’s This?” The phrase references an internet meme tied to animated videos and furry culture. OwO references an emoticon, and “what’s this?” denotes cuteness or curiosity. It’s frequently referenced by video game streamers.
One of the unfired casings, according to Cox, said: “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao.” The lyrics reference the anthem of the antifascist Italian resistance during World War II.
Cox said that another read, “Hey fascist! Catch!” The casing also had a series of arrows that pointed up, right, down, down, and down in apparent reference to a cooperative shooter video game called Helldivers 2. The input is the code for an airstrike. It has morphed into a meme and is used to imply a devastating reaction to something that should be destroyed.
Luke, the high school classmate, described Robinson as deeply ingrained in internet and meme culture and said the reported engravings on shell casings came as no surprise.
The third unfired casing, according to Cox, said, “If you’re reading this, you’re gay LMAO.”
Tom Chittum, a former ATF Associate Deputy Director, told USA TODAY that .30-06 “is a common hunting caliber.”
Chittum said the traditional hunting caliber is often used for hunting deer.
When shooting a bolt action rifle, the user must manually manipulate a lever to eject the fired round and chamber a new round before firing again. That contrasts with semi-automatic rifles, which allow the shooter to pull the trigger and quickly fire again without interruption.
“This was a longer shot, that suggests a person has prepared and practiced, but you don’t necessarily need to be a police or military sniper to make that shot,” Chittum said. “With modern optics and some practice, it’s not an impossible shot."
'He was always respectful and kind,' says shocked neighbor
Jaida Funk had a shock when she woke up to news that a 22-year-old neighbor down the street was accused of killing Kirk.
Funk said she went to the garage, pulled out her middle school yearbook and found Tyler Robinson’s picture two pages from hers. Not that she needed reminding. She had known him for years, from Kindergarten through the last time she recalls being around him sometime in high school. And her younger siblings were friendly with him over the years – a likable family that she doesn’t recall anyone disparaging.
Robinson had braces in the yearbook photo, a childlike image that made the moment all the more poignant. Funk said she’s trying "to imagine what could have transpired to get him for there, where I remember him, to a 22-year-old adult that chose to go and do that."
Funk said she was never a close friend, but that "he was always respectful and kind toward everyone." He was shy in school but “not weird,” she said, someone who could strike up a conversation with anyone but generally stuck to his inner circle.
Washington and neighboring St. George are good and safe communities, said Funk. She hopes the attention won’t draw any people who are angry. Robinson's family and community aren’t responsible for his actions, she said.
"If anyone’s spreading hate or violence towards the family and friends then it needs to stop," she said, "because sending prayers to Charlie kirk’s family is what’s most important."
— Brandon Loomis, Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network
State may seek death penalty with Trump’s support
The extent to which the shooter trained or practiced will likely be a major focus for investigators and prosecutors, who accused Robinson Sept. 12 of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice.
The governor said Robinson is in custody at the Utah County Jail. Cox indicated Sept. 11 that state prosecutors may pursue the death penalty for Kirk’s assassin.
Trump, in his morning comments on Fox and Friends, argued that Kirk's killer should receive the death penalty.
"I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump said. "What he did − Charlie Kirk was the finest person."
Utah uses lethal injection as its primary method of execution for inmates condemned today, though the firing squad is authorized in cases where lethal injection drugs are not available, due to a long-running shortage.
Discord removes suspect’s account but disputes Utah governor’s accusations
Discord, the online chat app linked to accused shooter Tyler Robinson, disputed some details of his use of the app that were shared at Friday's news conference in connection with the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Robinson's roommate shared messages sent on the chat app with investigators that contained references to a rifle that needed to be retrieved and references to engravings on bullets found with the accused shooter’s alleged gun.
In a statement to USA TODAY, though, Discord said the company believes the messages Cox mentioned in the news conference do not appear to have been sent on Discord.
"In the course of our investigation, we identified a Discord account associated with the suspect, but have found no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord," said the statement.
"The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages," the statement said. "These were communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting, where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere."
Also, the statement said, Discord has "removed the suspect’s account for violating our off-platform behavior policy."
– Josh Meyer
Authorities in and out of Robinson’s home
State and federal authorities hauled away a car and took other items from the Washington, Utah, house where Robinson lived.
An unmarked vehicle showed up at the house around 3:30 on Sept. 12 and several FBI agents and plain clothes authorities went into the house. Later, a gray car was loaded onto a flatbed truck and agents left the house with what appeared to be a black satchel and put it into the unmarked vehicle.
They left with the car around 5:30 local time and the last of the police left around 7 p.m.
Police had blocked access to the Robinson house throughout the day and no one else was seen coming or going.
– Brandon Loomis, Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's what we know about Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk's murder
Reporting by Davis Winkie, Christopher Cann, Nick Penzenstadler, Aysha Bagchi, Dinah Voyles Pulver, Josh Meyer, Will Carless, David DeMille, Michael Loria and Brandon Loomis, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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