The 22-year-old suspected of shooting Charlie Kirk wrote a chilling note saying he was going to “take out” the conservative activist, according to the director of the FBI. “I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” Tyler Robinson wrote in a note ahead of Mr Kirk’s assassination, Kash Patel revealed during an appearance on Fox News. “The note was written before the shooting, it was in the suspect’s partner’s home,” Mr Patel said on Monday. “We have since learned [of] the note – even though it was destroyed. We have found forensic evidence of the note and we have confirmed what the note said because of our aggressive interview posture at the FBI.”
Robinson was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm and obstruction of justice charges after Mr Kirk was shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Utah governor Spencer Cox said the 22-year-old had become “more political” in the run-up to the shooting and also disclosed that he had left-leaning beliefs, disliked Mr Kirk and was being uncooperative in custody.
Mr Cox told US outlets over the weekend that investigators were still trying to pin down a motive for the attack on the father-of-two, however, adding that more information will likely emerge when Robinson appears in court on Tuesday.
“Friends have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep,” he told NBC.
Describing the suspect’s political stance, he said friends and family had said was “clearly a leftist ideology”. “I really don’t have a dog in this fight,” Mr Cox added. “If this was a radicalised MAGA person, I’d be saying that as well.”
He also revealed that Robinson’s partner was transgender, although authorities have not confirmed whether they think this is relevant to the investigation into his motive for the attack. The governor said the partner “has been very cooperative [and] had no idea that this was happening”.
Records show that Robinson is registered to vote but not affiliated with a political party, and is listed as inactive, meaning he didn’t vote in the last two US general elections.
Ammunition found with the weapon used to kill Mr Kirk was engraved with anti-fascist and meme-culture language, including the messages, “Hey, fascist! Catch!” and “if you read this, you are gay lmao”.
Mir Kirk’s death prompted emotive statements from US President Donald Trump and other senior political figures, with the president calling him “Great and even Legendary”.
Although he drew backlash from left-wing commentators over his conservative views, including opposition to abortion, DEI programs, gun control and LGBT rights, the 31-year-old was praised by some for his willingness to engage in discussion with those he disagreed with, with the slogan ‘Prove Me Wrong’ a tagline of his group, Turning Point USA.
Mr Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, vowed to continue his radio and podcast shows and US campus tour in a livestreamed video on Friday. “To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die,” she said. “It won’t. I refuse to let that happen.”