>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
“I knew he [Robinson] had strong political views, but I never thought it would even go near that far,” the friend said, stunned that his former classmate could cross the line from rhetoric to murder.
The nation first learned of Robinson’s arrest when President Donald Trump announced it live on Fox & Friends Friday morning. “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump told viewers, saying word of the arrest reached him minutes before his interview.
The President went further, demanding the harshest punishment: “I hope he’s going to be found guilty, and I hope he gets the death penalty. What he did — Charlie Kirk was the finest person and he didn’t deserve this.” Trump also noted, “Somebody who was very close to him turned him in,” describing how a minister relayed the information through law enforcement.
The FBI later confirmed Robinson’s identity during a press briefing, describing how the gunman had positioned himself roughly 200 yards away with a long rifle. Early reports identified him as a figure in jeans, a black shirt, and a black vest perched on a structure near Utah Valley University’s library.
Kirk, just 31 years old and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was addressing a question about mass shootings by transgender individuals when the assassin struck. A single shot tore through his throat, sending the conservative leader reeling back as terrified crowds screamed and scattered. Video from the event captured the horror in real time, but President Trump admitted he could not bear to watch. “I didn’t want to remember Charlie that way,” he said.
Law enforcement agencies launched a massive manhunt involving the FBI, Orem Police, Utah’s Department of Public Safety, and campus security. Hours later, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that investigators had briefly detained a person of interest before releasing him. It was not Robinson. By Thursday night, the bureau even offered a $100,000 reward for tips that could break the case.
Trump memorialized Kirk on Truth Social in a solemn post: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Now, with the killer in custody, the shocking portrait painted by those who knew him offers insight into how deep radicalization can run. A young man once remembered for video games and political rants ultimately transformed into a murderer who silenced one of America’s most influential conservative voices.
