The 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is refusing to cooperate with authorities, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed Sunday, citing information also shared by two law enforcement officials.
Cox appeared on several Sunday morning talk shows, and said that investigators are still working to determine what drove the suspect, Tyler Robinson, to carry out the shooting. He noted that additional details could emerge after Robinson’s scheduled court appearance on Tuesday.
Robinson was arrested Friday and booked into the Utah County Jail on counts of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and felony discharge of a firearm resulting in serious injury, according to jail records. Authorities have described the shooting as a deliberate act, and the incident has drawn condemnation across the political spectrum. Investigators also revealed that the ammunition recovered from the weapon carried messages engraved with mocking and anti-fascist slogans tied to online meme culture. One casing bore the phrase: “Hey, fascist! Catch!”
Cox said in an interview with ABC News‘ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz that “he [Robinson] has not confessed to authorities. He is not cooperating .. But all the people around him are cooperating. And I think that’s very important.”
Cox said on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ that “there’s so much more that we’re learning, and so much more that we will learn,” There will be official charges filed on Tuesday, and there will be much more evidence and information available then. And again, we’re interviewing all kinds of people, everyone that knows him, and trying to learn more about what that motive actually was.”
Kirk, 31, co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot Wednesday while addressing an outdoor debate at Utah Valley University. He leaves behind his wife, Erika, and their two young children.
Governor Cox said that according to investigators, Robinson held left-leaning views and expressed animosity toward Kirk, a detail corroborated by those close to him: “that information comes from his friends and family” Cox said on CNN.
Cox also told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the suspect was in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who is cooperating with authorities. Cox said of the roommate: “what we have learned specifically is that this person did not have any knowledge, was shocked when they found out about it.” That person “is a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female,” Cox said, confirming earlier reports, and added that the roommate has been “very cooperative.”
State election records list Robinson as an unaffiliated, inactive voter, meaning he had not cast ballots in the last two elections: and he was too young to vote in 2020. Court documents further show Robinson had no criminal record—no felonies, misdemeanors, or history of violent offenses—prior to last week’s arrest.
Robinson was raised near St. George in southern Utah, and was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a child, according to church spokesperson Doug Andersen.
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