The Red & White

As many know and have seen on the news, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed recently. At the event hosted by Turning Point USA–an organization he co-founded–he had been giving a speech at Utah Valley University when a single bullet was fired and struck his neck, killing him. Charlie Kirk was a 31-year-old man who worked as a right-wing conservative activist. He was a supporter of gun rights, an opponent of abortion, was critical of transgender and gay rights, and promoted false claims about COVID-19. His views drew much criticism, with critics calling his comments offensive to minority groups, including the LGBTQ+ community and Muslims. An organization, Turning Point USA, which Kirk co-founded at 18, wanted to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US colleges, and played a major role in convincing people to vote for Trump and other Republican candidates in the election last year. The organization began after President Obama was re-elected in 2012. Kirk was a husband and father of two young children. His wife, Erika Frantzve, a former Miss Arizona, often attended his events. The couple was said to be pious evangelical Christians and often talked about their faith as a guiding force in their lives. As an advocate of conservative values and gun rights, Kirk spoke of anti-transgender views and scepticism over the COVID-19 pandemic. Comments from Kirk on race and crime often prompted a backlash. In 2020, he called George Floyd, a black man who was murdered at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, a “scumbag”. He also publicly promoted the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.

Tyler Robinson is a young man and the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk. His prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for his crimes. He is 22 years old and attends Dixie Technical College. Before this case, Robinson had no record of any criminal activities, and public records reviewed by the BBC suggest that Robinson had registered as an unaffiliated voter in Utah as well. He lived in an apartment in St. George, which was near his family’s home, and was not a student at UVU, where Kirk was killed. “In a statement, the Utah Board of Higher Education said he was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship programme at Dixie Technical College. “He previously spent one semester at Utah State University in 2021 and earned concurrent enrollment credits through Utah Tech University while in high school between 2019 and 2021” (Upadhyay and Epstein, 2025). His father ran a kitchen countertop and cabinet installation business, and his mother is a social worker. The family is Mormon as well as Republican, and is active at a local church. 

The alleged killer of Kirk took the blame for the killing over the social platform, Discord, as a company spokesperson confirmed. Robinson spoke to his friends over a group chat a few hours before his arrest, stating, “It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this” (Armstrong, 2025). His account was later suspended by Discord, as he violated off-platform behavior policies. He was arrested with charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. The young man could possibly face the death penalty for his actions if he truly is the murderer. The Discord messages from Robinson were initially reported by the Washington Post, and “are thought to have been written and posted towards the end of a manhunt for Kirk’s killer that lasted more than a day” (Armstrong, 2025). A few days ago, FBI director Kash Patel told a congressional hearing that all investigators will question and search every lead that comes from those Robinson was in contact with before his arrest. 

While Kirk’s death has sparked outrage and confusion from the public, both US political parties have been “accusing each other of spreading hateful rhetoric, and a hunt for his killer. Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox said Robinson had been arrested after confessing about Kirk’s killing to his father and being persuaded to hand himself in” (Armstrong, 2025). Though his father only did so after his mother had seen the suspected killer on the news and thought it looked like their son. He was taken into custody on September 12, after a 33-hour-long manhunt involving both local law enforcement and the FBI. He is currently being held without bail and in a special housing unit in the Utah County Jail. CCTV video showed the suspect fleeing from a rooftop after the shot was fired and escaping into a nearby wooded area. After the incident, police released images of the suspect, offering $100,000 for any information leading to their arrest. Although “At a press briefing on Friday, the FBI refused to discuss Robinson’s background, political leanings or a possible motive, saying the investigation was ongoing” (Upadhyay and Epstein, 2025).

Governor Cox had told reporters Robinson had not cooperated with authorities, but his roommate was among those who were. Said roommate was also later revealed to be a “biological male” who was transitioning from a man to a woman, and had been in a romantic relationship with Robinson. Patel, while criticized over the way he’s so far handled the situation, told Fox News during an interview that other text messages were found, where he had “specifically stated that he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do that” (Armstrong, 2025). Those working on the case are still trying to find the motive for why Robsinon allegedly killed Kirk. Many believe it could have been due to differences in beliefs, but Robsinon had been reported to live a life following the majority of Republican stances, but apparently a family member had told Governor Cox that Robinson had actually been becoming more political in recent years and had brought up Kirk’s visit to UVU during a dinner. During this dinner, “they talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had” (Upadhyay and Epstein, 2025). Robinson’s mother had admitted that he had started to lean more left in recent times, while Utah’s County Attorney, Jeff Gray, also stated that Robinson had been “becoming more pro-gay and trans-right orientated” (Upadhyay and Epstein, 2025). 

Other sources have told CBS News that the young men, Robinson and his friends, had argued over the shooting before his arrest, and the group had involved more than 20 people prior to the incident. Robinson was also questioned in the group about whether he was actually the gunman, to which he never confirmed nor denied. He had seemingly already been planning to hand himself in, but before he did so, he had sent a few messages, one saying, “im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments, thanks for all the good times and laughs, you’ve all been so amazing, thank you all for everything” (Armstrong, 2025).

Afterwards, one of President Trump’s workers, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, “has alleged that there was an organized campaign behind the assassination, but no evidence has been presented so far that suggests Robinson was working as part of a group” (Armstrong, 2025). Investigators are also following up on any social media accounts that Robinson had used, and according to CBS News, looking for “any signs that anyone may have known about or encouraged the shooting beforehand” (Armstrong, 2025). A friend of Robinson’s told and showed the law enforcement that Robinson had a contact in his phone named “Tyler”, referencing a rifle called “drop point” and instructions about retrieving and hiding the weapon. The weapon was found near the scene of the crime, where DNA matching Robinson’s has been collected and information about the gun itself, which was “unique and had once belonged to Robinson’s grandfather” (Upadhyay and Epstein, 2025). Shell casings were also examined, where two had references to online trolling humor. Many were clearly made to be humorous, as they were inscribed with phrases such as, “”If you read this, you are gay lmao”. One unfired casing had the words, “Hey fascist! Catch!” and an up, right, and three down arrows. The three down arrows alone could be a common symbol used for anti-fascism. But as a whole, the arrows could reference a sequence of control inputs used in a popular video game – although this remains unclear” (Upadhyay and Epstein, 2025). 

In the aftermath of the events, many people have lost jobs due to publicly celebrating or disrespecting Charlie Kirk’s death. Even people such as TV show host Jimmy Kimmel have been let go due to political statements made. Others, like pilots, medical professionals, teachers, and even a Secret Service employee, are among these people and have been suspended or fired. This sparks conflict over whether or not this violates the freedom of speech and employee protections, although US companies have a wide range of options for terminating any employees.

Vice President JD Vance himself has stated that, “People who celebrate the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk should be held accountable,” and also said, “”Call them out, and hell, call their employer,” Vance said as he guest-hosted an episode of the Charlie Kirk Show. “We don’t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility”” (Yousif, 2025). 

Later on, a young woman named Addi Jacobson, 20, whose grandmother knew the Robinson family, spoke up. Her grandmother said the family was great, normal. Even described them as very patriotic people. The neighborhood was small, so other neighbors spoke as well. “We knew their family. Our whole neighbourhood is so close,” and also stated, “That just even goes to show, you can be an amazing parent, and your kid still just chooses what they choose.” (Epstein, 2025). In her first statement since his death, the wife of Kirk, Erika Kirk, stated, “If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country”. Finally, Addi Jacobson stated, “This whole time, I never knew that I was living next to somebody capable of something like this,” Ms Jacobson said as she played in the park with her fiancé and baby. “It just makes you kind of question ‘how much closer am I to somebody else that could be this way?’”” (Epstein, 2025).