The “squeaky clean,” “considerate” kid who grew up in a family that celebrated his academic wins and time together in their suburban Utah community is now accused of murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Tyler Robinson’s arrest Friday after a dayslong manhunt shocked his community and family.
His grandmother Debbie Robinson, who spoke with NBC News before her grandson’s name was made public, said she talks to her family every day and was not aware that her 22-year-old grandson, whom she described as “squeaky clean,” had attended the event at Utah Valley University where Kirk was killed.
Robinson, an electrical apprentice, had developed a recent interest in politics, officials said. People in his community near St. George in conservative Southern Utah said that wasn’t typical of his family.
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.”
One neighbor, Kristin Schwiermann, described working as a custodian at Robinson’s 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.
Robinson 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, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters.
“We got him,” Cox said.
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 said Friday that a relative told investigators that at a recent dinner, Robinson 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.
Robinson's evolution from standout student to the subject of an FBI manhunt is not clear.
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.
He was a pre-engineering major at Utah State University for one semester in 2021 and took related classes during the brief period he attended, according to university spokeswoman Amanda DeRito. Robinson then took a leave of absence.
At the time of the shooting, he was a third-year student in Dixie Technical College’s electrical apprenticeship program, the Utah Board of Higher Education said.
His family wasn’t shy about shouting out his scholastic achievements on social media.
On Aug. 15, 2020, the first day of Robinson’s senior year of high school, his mother posted a pair of photos — one that showed her son 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!”
The family also shared moments together on vacation and sometimes with guns. Photos posted on his parents’ social media accounts show the family traveling in Mexico, eating meals together and posing for Halloween photos.
Cox, the governor, described the fatal shooting of Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and an influential conservative activist, as a “political assassination.”
On Friday, he 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.
The inscriptions reference fascism, obscure internet memes and video games.
