The family of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old student accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is reeling after his grandmother broke her silence, insisting the FBI must have the wrong man.
A Shocking Arrest
Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night in Washington, Utah, after a day-and-a-half manhunt. Investigators say his own father, Matt Robinson, recognized him in surveillance photos and alerted authorities. The arrest stunned not only the nation, but Robinson’s 69-year-old grandmother, Debbie, who described her grandson as a “wonderful child” incapable of violence.
Tyler Robinson. (Source: Utah County Jail)
“My son, his dad, is a Republican for Trump,” she told the Daily Mail. “Most of my family are Republican. Tyler is the shyest person. He has never, ever spoken politics to me at all. I’m just so confused.”
“He’s Just a Shy, Good Kid”
Debbie painted a picture of Robinson as a quiet young man, reserved and uninterested in politics. She said she had never seen him with a gun. “I don’t think he ever shot a gun, to tell you the truth. He doesn’t hunt, he’s never liked anything like that. There’s just no way he could have been that good of a shot,” she insisted.
Tyler Robinson, 22, accused in Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
She emphasized that her grandson had no history of mental health issues, adding: “He has never, ever gotten in trouble in his life. There is absolutely no way he did that.”
But investigators have pointed to a darker side: Discord messages about engraved bullets and a rifle “drop point,” along with comments at a family dinner where Robinson allegedly called Kirk “full of hate and spreading hate.”
A Family Divided
Matt Robinson, Tyler’s father, works in the family’s construction business. Reports also noted his background in local law enforcement. Public records show his mother Amber is also a registered Republican. Photos from 2017 even show Tyler dressed as Donald Trump for Halloween.
The Robinsons captured in happier family moments.
But while Debbie insists politics played no role in her grandson’s life, authorities say he had become more outspoken in recent years. Governor Spencer Cox revealed that at a dinner before the shooting, Robinson voiced disdain for Kirk’s visit to Utah Valley University.
Adding to the contradiction, social media shows Robinson posing with an M2 Browning machine gun, undermining his grandmother’s claim that he never touched firearms.
The Assassination
Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck while speaking to students at UVU during his “American Comeback” event. The father of two collapsed on stage as chaos erupted in the auditorium. He was rushed to the hospital but died soon after.
Once a college scholarship student, now facing death penalty charges.
Investigators later recovered a bolt-action rifle in nearby woods, along with casings engraved with bizarre inscriptions:
The fired casing: “notices bulges OWO what’s this?”
An unfired round: “hey fascist! catch!” with up, right, and three down arrows
Another round: “oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao”
A final one: “if you read this you are gay lmao”
“Mistaken Identity?”
For Debbie Robinson, the pieces simply don’t add up. “I’ve watched that child grow up and I can’t imagine that it would ever, ever be him. And I’m not just saying that as his grandma. It’s knowing him as I do,” she said, suggesting it must be “mistaken identity or something.”
But with bullet inscriptions, Discord chats, and a confession to his father reportedly tying Tyler Robinson to the crime, investigators insist the evidence tells another story that his grandmother still refuses to believe.