Charlie Kirk Assassin Blamed Shooting On Lookalike

Tyler Robinson’s friends asked whether he thought he resembled the FBI’s surveillance photos of Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, according to The New York Times.

Robinson, the paper went on to say, joked and said his “doppelganger” was trying to “get me in trouble.”

The 22-year-old sent the message on Discord Thursday afternoon, just hours before police arrested him for allegedly assassinating Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

When an acquaintance tagged Robinson in a group chat and posted the FBI’s grainy surveillance images with “wya” — where you at? — and a skull emoji, Robinson replied within a minute about his supposed lookalike. Another user wrote “Tyler killed Charlie!!!!” in apparent jest, according to Discord messages obtained by The New York Times.

Exclusive: A day after Charlie Kirk was killed, the man now accused of the assassination joked to friends that his “doppelganger” was trying to “get me in trouble.”

They thought it was funny Tyler Robinson looked like the suspect — until he was arrested. https://t.co/hazlgJsJgU

— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs (@NickAtNews) September 14, 2025

The Discord messages show Robinson closely tracked news coverage of the shooting while joking with approximately 20 people in the group chat, the outlet reported. When someone suggested turning him in for the FBI’s $100,000 reward, Robinson responded, “Only if I get a cut.” (RELATED: Alleged Charlie Kirk Assassin Not Cooperating With Law Enforcement, Gov Says)

He referenced Luigi Mangione’s arrest when another user warned against going to McDonald’s, writing he should “better also get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around.”

Robinson monitored reporting about ammunition engravings found at the scene, writing: “I heard the ammo had somethin about trans stuff on it, but they aren’t releasing photos or exact quotes,” according to the outlet. He added the claim “wasn’t backed by the official fbi, just some dude in the briefing room.”

Police say Robinson fired one shot from a rooftop about 400 feet from where Kirk spoke, killing the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder. Robinson later confessed to family members who encouraged him to surrender to authorities in Southwestern Utah, more than three hours from the campus.