Suspect in Charlie Kirk's killing had a new interest in politics and a reputation as a 'considerate' kid

The alleged gunman arrested in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk is a 22-year-old Utah man with no apparent criminal record, a demeanor described by one neighbor as “very considerate” and a recent interest in becoming more political, officials said.

Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested after a family friend reached out to a sheriff’s office Thursday night and said he had confessed or implied that he was responsible for killing the conservative activist Wednesday at Utah Valley University, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters.

News of his arrest after a days-long manhunt shocked his community.

One neighbor, Kristin Schwiermann, described working as a custodian at his elementary school and said she knew him and his family from church. Schwiermann, 66, said he was “very considerate,” “quiet” and “respectful.”

“He was a good kid,” she said.

A family friend who asked not to be named described Robinson’s family as not especially political or religious and said they are “good, down-to-earth, nice people.” They are outdoorsy and like to hunt and ride around on ATVs, the friend said.

“I’m stunned,” another family friend said. “These are really nice people.”

Robinson was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice, a probable cause affidavit shows. He is expected to be charged Tuesday.

Cox described the fatal shooting of Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and an influential conservative activist, as a “political assassination.” He said Friday that a relative of Robinson’s described a recent dinner where he mentioned Kirk’s upcoming campus event, which was part of Turning Point USA’s “American Comeback” tour.

“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had,” the governor said.

Cox also described inscriptions found on bullet casings that were with a high-powered, bolt-action rifle discovered near campus. Authorities believe the weapon, a Mauser 98 .30-06 with a mounted scope, belonged to Robinson.

One of the inscriptions had the lyrics to the Italian folk song “Bella Ciao,” Cox said. The song became associated with anti-fascist movements starting in the mid-20th century.

Another read “Hey fascist! Catch!” with an up arrow, a right arrow and three down arrows. A third stated, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”

According to Cox, the inscription on the casing that was fired said: “notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?”

Cox also described messages between Robinson and his roommate that appeared to show the suspect talking about the rifle.

The messages, which Cox said were shared on Discord, showed a person named Tyler discussing engravings and the "need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point." The messages also mentioned a rifle "wrapped in a towel" and "leaving the rifle in a bush," Cox said.

Authorities found the weapon wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near campus.

Discord confirmed in statement that Robinson had an account on its instant messaging social platform — which has since been taken down — but disputed Cox’s characterizations of the messages.

“The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages,” the company 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.”

Investigators identified Robinson through a campus surveillance video, which showed him arriving to the school at 8:29 a.m. in a gray Dodge Challenger, Cox said.

When investigators approached Robinson on Thursday, he was wearing clothes that appeared similar to what he was wearing in the surveillance images — a plain maroon t-shirt, light colored shorts and a black hat, Cox said.

NBC News’ searches of state and national public records associated with Robinson’s name and date of birth found no indication of a prior criminal record. A public safety assessment report shows that Robinson had no felony or misdemeanor convictions and no prior violent offenses.

Public records indicate that Robinson's last voter registration date was July 13, 2021, and his political party is none declared.

Robinson went to Utah State University for one semester in 2021, a spokesperson for the university confirmed.

The year before, Robinson's mother posted a pair of photos on the first day of his senior of high school — one that showed him beaming and another in which he's wearing a black surgical-style mask.

"Senior year is going to be busy for this boy!" she wrote on Facebook. "4college classes this semester on top of 4 high school classes, including AP calculus! My brain hurts for him, but he's so excited!"