We’re learning new details about the man accused of assassinating right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Officials shared the unusual terms he demanded before surrendering to police in Utah.
22-year-old Tyler Robinson agreed to turn himself in, but only if the arrest was peaceful.
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Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said he got a call from a retired detective on Thursday, Sept. 11. The detective told Brooksby he “couldn’t fathom” what would come out of his mouth. He said, “I know who Charlie Kirk’s shooter is.”
Surrender conditions
The detective said Robinson was ready to surrender, but he feared a SWAT team would kill him.
“He knew he was gonna get caught. He didn’t want a big SWAT team hitting his parents’ house or his apartment,” Brooksby said. “He was truly fearful of being shot by law enforcement, so that the conditions were as relaxed and comfortable and almost to the point of inviting.”
Brooksby said Robinson knew it was “just inevitable” that authorities were going to catch him after he saw his pictures on the news and heard the gun he allegedly used was found.
Robinson’s arrest
The sheriff said that on late Thursday night, Robinson’s parents and the retired detective, who knew the family through a religious group, drove him to the station. During the drive, the detective called the patrol division chief’s personal phone to tell him Robinson was about to turn himself in.
Detectives in plain clothes met him outside and escorted him into a building marked “Authorized Personnel Only.” Local law enforcement notified the Salt Lake City FBI office and kept Robinson in an interview room until the FBI arrived on Friday morning.
Officials described Robinson as “quiet and somber” upon his arrival. They said they tried to make conditions “gentle” and “inviting” for Robinson before the FBI and other law enforcement arrived.
“He was sitting on a very comfortable couch with a water bottle in his hand, not restrained,” Brooksby said.
The sheriff credits his former colleague for defusing a potentially dangerous situation through community ties and trust.
“He deserves whole credit,” Brooksby said. “Tyler’s family trusted this individual. They knew he was involved in law enforcement at some point and enough community involvement there that they trusted that we could facilitate a peaceful, calm, relaxed surrender.”
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, obstruction, witness tampering and committing a violent offense in front of a child.
