Charlie Kirk’s suspected shooter reportedly joked with friends as the FBI was actively searching for him.
On Wednesday, 10 September, the conservative commentator was fatally shot in the neck while addressing an audience at Utah Valley University.
Authorities quickly initiated a large-scale search for the suspect, believed to have acted alone, using a bolt action rifle from a nearby rooftop.
Days after the incident, the FBI announced the detention of their primary suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah.
Reports indicate that Robinson was turned in by his father, who is a Republican voter. However, Robinson’s grandmother insists that the authorities have the wrong individual.
Despite this, Robinson reportedly made casual jokes with friends before being arrested for Kirk’s murder.
Robinson allegedly mocked the two grainy surveillance photos circulated by the FBI, which depicted a slim young man, akin to a college student, wearing a cap and sunglasses while loitering in the campus stairwell.
On Discord, virtual friends noticed a resemblance between Robinson and the suspect, though Robinson allegedly dismissed the notion, calling it a case of mistaken identity, as per the New York Times.
A friend even tagged Robinson in a post featuring the FBI images, inquiring ‘wya’, or ‘where you at?’, with a skull emoji.
Shortly thereafter, Robinson denied the accusation, claiming it was his look-alike attempting to ‘get me in trouble.’
“Tyler killed Charlie!!!”, another message read in jest.
Another participant in the 20-person chat humorously suggested turning Robinson in for the FBI’s substantial $100,000 reward during the ongoing manhunt.
“Only if I get a cut,” Robinson reportedly quipped in response.
The conversation came to light as a member of the group chat, who has known Robinson since high school, disclosed the content anonymously.
“Whatever you do, don’t go to a McDonald’s anytime soon,” another friend advised, referencing the arrest of Luigi Mangion, accused of killing a health insurance CEO in Manhattan.
Robinson reportedly agreed, joking that he ‘better also get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around.’
He also speculated that the shooter was ‘clearly’ from California.
“I heard the ammo had somethin about trans stuff on it, but they aren’t releasing photos or exact quotes,” he reportedly commented, noting: “and also the claim wasn’t backed by the official fbi, just some dude in the briefing room.”
“I’m actually Charlie Kirk, wanted to get outta politics so I faked my death, now I can live out my dream life in Kansas.”
Discord has stated that its platform was not involved in the incident and has not confirmed Robinson’s username to the media.
“In the course of our investigation, we identified a Discord account associated with the suspect, but have found no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages.
“These were communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting, where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere.”