Salt Lake City [US], September 14 : Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this week, had left-leaning political views, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) said, according to a report by The Hill.
"It's very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology," Cox told The Wall Street Journal in remarks cited by The Hill on Saturday.
Earlier at a press conference on Friday, Cox said that Robinson's family member had informed investigators that he "had become more political in recent years." The family member also mentioned that Robinson recently brought up Kirk's scheduled speech at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
"They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had," Cox said Friday morning, as reported by The Hill. "The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate."
Alongside the testimony, investigators also gathered evidence about Robinson. He is registered as an unaffiliated voter in Utah, according to election records.
Authorities had recovered the alleged weapon, a Mauser 98 .30-06 caliber rifle with a scope attached. Additional clues were uncovered from unfired casings found by investigators.
Governor Cox noted that one read, "Hey fascist!" while another carried lyrics from the Italian folk song "Bella Ciao." A third casing was inscribed with: "If you read this, you are gay, lmao."
The investigation advanced further after Robinson's family member reached out to a family friend on Thursday evening. That friend then contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office, reporting that Robinson had "confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident," The Hill reported.
According to the Utah Board of Higher Education, he is a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College.
His arrest and the swift investigative progress drew national attention, with US Vice President JD Vance on Friday expressing his gratitude to Utah Governor Spencer Cox and FBI Director Kash Patel for the breakthrough on the killing of Republican activist Charlie Kirk. Vance emphasised that the arrest showed major progress in the case.
In a post on X, he said, "I am grateful to Governor Spencer Cox, Utah law enforcement, Kash Patel, and the FBI for giving this case the time, resources, and hard work it deserved. This is a big breakthrough, and everyone who helpedfrom the law enforcement professionals to the people giving tipsdeserves our credit and gratitude."
Vance added that while "The investigation is still in the early days," he believed the authorities had the shooter in custody. "Say a prayer for Erika Kirk and those two beautiful babies. We took a big step this morning in getting justice for Charlie, and for his family. Thanks be to God for that," he wrote.
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