What we know about Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson

Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old in custody as the suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, registered to vote with no party affiliation and hadn't cast a ballot in the two most recent elections.

But a family member told investigators that Robinson "had become more political in recent years," Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference Friday morning – and in particular had lashed out at Kirk, the family member said.

Authorities, who have described Kirk's killing as a "political assassination," discovered anti-fascist messages engraved on ammunition with a rifle near the site of the shooting that hint at that political transformation, Cox said.

Those messages included one that said, "Hey fascist! Catch!" and another that appeared to reference an Italian anti-fascist song.

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Robinson grew up in Washington, Utah, and earned a scholarship to attend Utah State University after a strong academic record in high school, but dropped out after just one semester, according to public records, social media, and a university statement.

Voter registration records show that Robinson is registered to vote unaffiliated with any party, although he is also listed as an "inactive" voter, meaning he hasn't voted in at least the most recent two general elections.

State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving him.

His listed address in the probable cause statement is the six-bedroom home of his parents, who own a granite countertop business and are registered to vote as Republicans.

Robinson has two younger brothers and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to social media posts.

Social media photos show Robinson wearing grey Converse shoes and sunglasses that appear similar to those worn by the shooting suspect in photos released by law enforcement earlier this week.

Cox said at the press conference that a family member of Robinson had reached out to a family friend Thursday night, and the family friend told the Washington County Sheriff's Office that "Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident."

Robinson was taken into custody around 10pm Thursday, after a 33-hour manhunt, FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday.

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Robinson's hometown is a quiet suburb of St. George, a city in the southwest corner of the state. It's about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was gunned down on Wednesday afternoon while holding a campus event.

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-calibre heavy machine gun.

"He wouldn't really talk to you unless you said something to him," said Durban Mickelson, who said Robinson would frequently buy supplies from the store where Mickelson works in St. George.

"Just always very quiet, kept to himself."

Cox said that a family member of Robinson had told investigators that at a recent family dinner, Robinson had mentioned Kirk's upcoming Utah Valley event, and "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."

The bolt-action rifle Robinson used and left in a wooded area near the campus had various phrases engraved on the bullet casings, Cox said, including "Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao ciao," which appeared to reference an Italian anti-fascist song.

Other engravings hinted more at connections to online trolling and memes, including one that said, "If you read this, you are gay LMAO."

Robinson graduated from Pine View High School in St. George in 2021, a spokesperson for the school confirmed.

He received a resident presidential scholarship to attend Utah State University, according to a Facebook video his mother posted of him reading a letter about the award.

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