Charlie Kirk shooting suspect 'excitedly' bragged about his gun skills to former work colleague
The prime suspect in Charlie Kirk's killing 'excitedly' bragged about his long-range shooting skills to his workmates, a former colleague has claimed.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested on Friday (12 September) after a 33-hour manhunt was launched following the death of the 31-year-old right-wing political activist.
Kirk was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday (10 September) when a single bullet struck him in the neck, before President Donald Trump announced he had passed away.
The commander-in-chief revealed that a person 'close' to the alleged gunman had 'turned him in' to authorities, while calling for Robinson to 'get the death penalty for what he did'.
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The FBI discovered bullet casings that were engraved with a variety of messages and Utah governor Spencer Cox suggested the incident may have been politically motivated.
He revealed that relatives of Robinson had told officials that he 'didn't like' the outspoken commentator Kirk - who was famed for his 'Prove Me Wrong' debates - and 'the viewpoints that he had'.
Cox also said that investigators had discovered that the 22-year-old suspect had sent online messages to a pal about needing to retrieve a rifle from a 'drop point' that had been left in a bush and wrapped in a towel.
The alleged conversation also discussed items, including a 'scope', and described the rifle as 'unique' - although instant messaging platform Discord said there was 'no evidence' Robinson had discussed his plans on its website.
Now, a man who claims to have previously worked with Robinson as an electrician on a site in St George, Utah, has spoken out about what he was like as a colleague.
The 25-year-old tradie, who wished to remain anonymous, has alleged that Robinson didn't say much during their mutual employment in 2023 - except when the topic of weapons came up.
He explained that he had purchased a 'new pistol' shortly after Black Friday and was showing it off to his supervisor when Robinson chimed into the conversation.
"We were out by the trucks and then Tyler and another guy came over," he told the New York Post. "We were all talking about what kinds of guns we were gonna get or had bought, and they started talking about their longest shots.
"Tyler said he made a 450-yard shot. That was like the only time we got [Robinson] to conversate with us, when we were talking about guns that day.
"He got excited about it - at least, as excited as he can get. He never really showed much emotion. He was just kind of, I don’t know, blank? He was just really quiet."
Robinson's former colleague said that the conversation two years ago resurfaced in his mind when news broke that the university drop-out had been arrested in connection with Kirk's death.
Explaining he was 'shocked' when he heard the news, the man continued: "I was like, ‘It can’t be that Tyler’. So I called my old coworker and I was like, ‘Hey, did Tyler show up to work today?’
"He was like, no, he was supposed to but maybe he’s at a different site. And I was like, ‘Dude, I think Tyler was the one who did the shooting.’ And he didn’t believe me."
He claimed to have called Robinson's phone to confirm his suspicions, but says the call went straight to voicemail.
The electrician added: "He was the last person I thought would do this. When I heard that the suspect was a young guy from St. George, there were hundreds of other people that I thought would be capable of it before him."
He also recalled another alleged conversation that he had shared with the 'soft-spoken' Robinson while they were co-workers, which was of a political nature.
The man claimed Robinson left the chat, 'went into the back laundry room and sat on a bucket and I think put an earbud in'.
Kirk's funeral will be held on 21 September at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, his organisation Turning Point USA announced.
Olivia Burke