Tyler Robinson, the suspected gunman accused of killing Charlie Kirk, was raised Mormon — yet he allegedly pulled the trigger only moments after the conservative figure had spoken warmly about the Church of Latter-day Saints, according to a report. Kirk was shot in the neck by Robinson and rushed to the hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.
Robinson has since been arrested and has also confessed to his crime after his dad turned him in. Video from Kirk's last appearance at Utah Valley University on Wednesday shows him joking with a Mormon audience member, whom he pointed out as the "guy in the shirt and tie at the front here."
Not Expected from a Mormon
Moments later, Kirk went on to express his love and affection for the church. "I love how Mormons send missionaries around the world, I love how polite they are. ... Half my team is Mormon," he said, to huge cheers from the Utah crowd.
"Mormons are great people. Let me just say, I'm an evangelical Christian, but I'm not one of those guys that hates on Mormons," he added.
Kirk's final remarks came only minutes before he was fatally shot by Robinson, whose neighbor recalled seeing him at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in St. George, Utah.
"He went to our church when he was younger," the neighbor told The New York Post.
Robinson's grandmother told the Daily Mail she was still struggling to understand the brutal killing, saying her grandson had never shown any interest in politics. "My son, his dad, is a Republican for Trump," she said.
"[Tyler] is the shyest person," she added. "He has never, ever spoke politics to me at all."
"Most of my family members are Republican. I don't know any single one who's a Democrat. I'm just so confused."
This came as it was revealed Robinson threatened to take his own life rather than surrender after his father confronted him about the gruesome slaying, law enforcement sources said.
The father recognized his 22-year-old son in the photos of the suspected shooter that the FBI released on Thursday, sources told the New York Post.
When the young man came home, his father confronted him. However, Robinson at first refused to turn himself in to the police and even told his father that he would rather kill himself than get arrested.
Motive Still Unclear
The father was able to convince him to at least talk to their youth minister, who also serves on a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, sources told the outlet. The minister reached out to a deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service, and soon after, the FBI moved in and took Robinson into custody, according to sources.
Robinson also shared messages detailing the aftermath of the killing via an online chatroom, authorities said. Robinson etched internet-inspired and anti-fascist messages onto bullets before firing the fatal shot that killed Kirk on Wednesday, cops said.
One of Robinson's roommates told police he had talked about the engravings and even described his actions after the shooting in an online chat room. They believe he used Discord, a popular gaming and community platform where people connect over shared interests.
Detectives say Robinson posted on Discord that he had to pick up a rifle from a drop point. In those messages, he allegedly explained how he wrapped the weapon in a towel, hid it in a bush, and later used it with a scope. He also mentioned changing outfits to cover his tracks.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox revealed that one bullet was engraved with the phrase "Notices bulges OwO, what's this?" — a meme often used online to mock "furries" and transgender people.
Furries are a subculture where people take on anthropomorphized animal identities, sometimes with a sexual element.
According to the website Know Your Meme, the phrase engraved on one of the bullets is commonly used online to mock Furries. "OWO" is meant to look like a wide-eyed face of surprise, while "notices bulge" is a reference to the male appendage.
Another bullet reportedly read, "Hey Fascists! Catch" and included an up arrow, a right arrow, and three downward-pointing arrows. Investigators believe the symbols may be a nod to the Iron Front, a paramilitary group formed to oppose the Nazi Party during Germany's Weimar Republic.
One casing was inscribed with lyrics from the famous Italian anti-fascist song "Bella Ciao," which honored the Italian resistance fighting against Nazism.
The final unfired bullet carried the phrase: "If you read this you are gay LMAO." As Utah Governor Spencer Cox explained, "LMAO" is an internet shorthand for "laughing my ass off."
Robinson was turned in to the police overnight in southern Utah by his father and a minister, shortly after law enforcement released images of a person of interest.
