Expert explains why Charlie Kirk bullet didn't match alleged shooter's gun
Ballistic experts have revealed why the bullet which fatally wounded Charlie Kirk may not match the alleged assassin's gun.
Tyler Robinson was named as the man charged with killing the Turning Point USA founder at an event at Utah Valley University on 10 September 2025.
The 22-year-old is now facing capital murder charges and a potential death sentence over the shooting, with prosecutors alleging that he drove three hours to the campus to carry out the attack on the right-wing podcaster.
A recent court filing reveals that the defence team argued that the bullet recovered didn't actually match up to the rifle linked to Robinson.
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According to the defence, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) 'was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr Robinson'.
On the other hand, prosecutors are of the belief that the Mauser model 98 gun belonging to Robinson was actually a gift from his grandfather.
The FBI is said to be running additional tests around Kirk's assassination, but the revelation from the defence has caused waves online, as they claimed that they might try to use the analysis to clear Robinson of blame.
This could push proceedings back by months, but experts explained that this scenario isn't uncommon in murder cases for a number of reasons.
When investigating murder cases, experts search for a match between the bullet and the rifling in the barrel of the weapon, which involves grooves and raised ridges called lands.
Steven Howard, a ballistic expert who testifies in cases around the world, said that when it comes to rifles, it isn't rare for the bullet not to be matchable to the firearm.
He told the Daily Mail: "It's pretty common with rifles, not so much with handguns, but it happens also with them,
"Rifles have so much velocity and therefore so much energy, that the bullets a lot of times damage themselves to the point that you can't realistically match them up because they're so damaged."
Howard said that you could identify the weapon type from 'the right number of lands and grooves', adding that despite this, the bullet is 'so damaged' that you can't 'line things up in a ballistic comparison microscope and match it'.
While projectiles from handguns move at a speed of 1,000 ft per second, rifles start at double that, with that increasing the amount of energy involved and the mass of a bullet.
Another factor is where the bullet hits, with it more likely to be fragmented if it hits thick muscle, like in the neck or bone.
"It's very foreseeable, under circumstances like this, simply that the case of the bullet is damaged so much they can't conclusively match it," he added, claiming that 'ballistics is just one part of the case'.
Howard admitted that if things don't match, it could be 'very powerful evidence of innocence', but he doubts that this is the case, adding: "The ballistics comparison is just one part. If it (the bullet) can't be completely eliminated, as in no way in hell it came out of this gun, then it's still evidence that leans towards guilt."
Prosecutors continue to claim that Robinson's DNA was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, and even the two unfired cartridges.
Howard said that they would have to get another epert, which could take months.
Bernard Zapor, a former ATF special agent, told the publication that not being able to match a bullet to the murder weapon wasn't unusual.
"The barrel has rifling, the purpose of which is like if you threw a football, the way you get distance with accuracy is it has to have that spiral, it provides almost like a gyroscope momentum and you get more versus just letting it wobble into space," he explained.
"All those mechanical processes make marks on the shell casing on the projectile, and all of those marks are unique to each different firearm. And how they're unique is that not every firearm was made precisely, exactly the same."
Zapor said that there are 'tolerances and movements that it grabs differently' depending on the rifling.
He went on: "If you shoot a round, and it goes into the intended target, let's say an animal, an elk or something, that round is going to be damaged, because the whole purpose of it is to transfer kinetic energy into the target."
The expert also spoke about the bullet being alered by hitting bone structure 'and other things', crucially claiming: "There very well may not be enough left for one to make a conclusive examination between what's left of the projectile and a suspected firearm. That is not uncommon."
Topics: Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, US News, Crime
Joshua Nair