Authorities investigating the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk are examining the political leanings of the suspected gunman after a friend described the 22-year-old as having moved sharply to the left in recent years.
The suspect, Tyler Robinson, is accused of fatally shooting Kirk on Wednesday while the conservative activist was speaking before thousands at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Robinson was arrested on Thursday following a statewide manhunt.

A high school acquaintance who played video games with Robinson told the Guardian that the suspect frequently expressed anti-Trump views during their conversations.
The individual, who asked to remain anonymous, said they played games together for several years before losing touch after Robinson went to college.
According to the acquaintance, Robinson told him that the rest of his family held conservative views, leaving Robinson isolated for his dislike of President Donald Trump.
“He was pretty much left on everything,” the friend said.
“He was the only member of his family that was pretty leftist. The rest of his family was very hard Republican.”
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The acquaintance said Robinson’s political views became more outspoken around his sophomore year of high school, during the first Trump administration.
At that point, Robinson was “always ranting and arguing” about politics, often debating those who disagreed with him.
BREAKING: A friend of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of killing Charlie Kirk, confirms to The Guardian that he was a “leftist”
The friend says he was left-wing on all issues and he became extreme on politics
He was the only left-winger in the family pic.twitter.com/j0PhSn8azR
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 12, 2025
Voting records reviewed by the outlet show Robinson first registered to vote in July 2021 as an independent.
He is currently listed as inactive. Both of his parents are active registered Republicans.
Robinson enrolled at Utah State University on a presidential scholarship but attended for only one semester before dropping out.
He graduated from high school in 2021 after earning concurrent enrollment credits at Utah Tech University.
Neighbors in his hometown of Washington, Utah, described him as academically strong.
Kristin Schwiermann, 66, who lives nearby, said she knew Robinson had achieved high standardized test scores.
She was stunned to hear of his alleged involvement in the assassination.
“News that Robinson may have confessed to murdering Kirk shocked the crap out of me,” Schwiermann said.
“I didn’t think he would have done this.”
Washington, Utah, where the Robinson family resides, supported Trump with 75 percent of the vote in the 2024 election.
Investigators continue to gather evidence linking Robinson to the crime.
Authorities have collected shoe prints and fingerprints from the roof where Robinson is believed to have fired the fatal shot.
Officials say he used a common hunting rifle to strike Kirk in the neck while the activist was answering questions from students during the American Comeback Tour event on campus.
Kirk, 31, was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.
His death has been widely condemned by national leaders. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Kirk would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Federal and state officials say their investigation into Robinson’s motive is ongoing as they work to piece together the events that led to what Utah Governor Spencer Cox has described as a “political assassination.”