This September 11, 2025, conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk died after being shot during an event at Utah Valley University (UVU). The next day, authorities identified the alleged attacker as 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson, who was taken into custody without incident.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed the suspect’s identity and indicated that Robinson was in custody while a thorough investigation into the attack, considered a high-profile act of political violence, is conducted.
Images of Robinson with guns emerge
Shortly after his name was released, social media users located old posts on family accounts.
They showed Tyler Robinson handling firearms from an early age.
Photos shared in the past by his mother showed the family participating in gun shows and recreational activities.
Something that seemed normalized in his environment.
In several images, Robinson appeared posing with rifles and other hunting implements.
Following the wave of comments and outrage generated by these posts, his family’s social media accounts were either deleted or set to private.
For community organizations, these images reignite the debate about easy access to firearms in American homes.
As well as the cultural normalization of its use from an early age.
Weapon used: bolt-action rifle
Buzzy
According to Fox News, the weapon used by Tyler Robinson in the attack was a bolt-action rifle, a type of hunting weapon that requires manual reloading after each shot.
Unlike semi-automatic weapons, the user must lift and pull back the bolt lever to eject the spent cartridge and then push it forward to load a new one.
This mechanism makes the weapon reliable, accurate and durable, although much slower than other firearms.
Authorities found this rifle at a location near the site of the attack on Charlie Kirk, following leads provided by Robinson’s roommate.
He indicated to investigators that the suspect had left the weapon hidden in some bushes and planned to retrieve it later.
Possible motivations and behavior
Robinson was in custody
QuéOnnda.com
According to Spencer Cox, messages recovered from Tyler Robinson’s entourage showed that he had expressed a strong dislike of Charlie Kirk’s ideas, whom he described as a “hate-filled” person.
A family member indicated that Robinson had become more political in recent years and that, days before the attack, he spoke about his disagreement with Kirk’s visit to the university.
Authorities are now analyzing his previous publications and communications to determine if there was premeditation or influence from extremist ideologies.
Meanwhile, the case has sparked a national debate about gun control and extremism among young Americans.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
