Federal officers introduced Monday that investigators discovered DNA and different proof linking Tyler Robinson to the deadly taking pictures of Charlie Kirk as FBI Director Kash Patel faces rising scrutiny over his management in the course of the probe.
“We learned some shocking things when we spoke to his family and friends,” Patel mentioned within the interview.
The FBI collected a screwdriver containing Robinson’s DNA on the rooftop of a constructing at Utah Valley College and a firearm wrapped in a towel that had been discarded in a close-by wooded space. The towel additionally had Robinson’s DNA on it, Patel mentioned, including that the firearm was nonetheless being processed for forensic proof.
Kirk, 31, was a beloved determine within the conservative motion who in dying received reward for utilizing dialogue to make his case. He was recognized for his unfiltered, hard-right opinions on heated subjects equivalent to abortion, immigration and gender identification, feedback that regularly drew fierce criticism, significantly on school campuses he visited. His dying by a single gunshot throughout a talking engagement at Utah Valley College shocked the nation and has led to vigorous debate over the motivations allegedly driving Robinson, the 22-year-old arrested on suspicion of homicide.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox pauses as he speaks at a information convention Friday in Orem, Utah.
(Lindsey Wasson/AP)
Throughout a spherical of interviews Sunday morning, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox claimed that Robinson subscribed to a “leftist ideology” and have become radicalized after he dropped out of Utah State College in 2021. Robinson’s mother and father are registered Republicans. Their son shouldn’t be affiliated with any political celebration and apparently holds extra liberal views, authorities mentioned.
Robinson has not been cooperating with investigators, however the individuals closest to him have been working with police, Cox mentioned. Thus far, Robinson’s buddies have painted an image of a youngster radicalized at nighttime corners of the web, in line with the governor.
“Clearly, there was a lot of gaming going on, friends that have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep,” Cox mentioned.
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino mentioned Robinson had an “obsession” with Kirk based mostly on data the FBI has found up to now, and it’s whether or not others knew of the menace he posed.
There was a lot dialogue over Robinson’s associate, whom he lives with and who Cox mentioned is “transitioning from male to female.” Cox emphasised in a tv interview over the weekend that the particular person didn’t have any information of the assault and “was shocked when they found out about it.”
Moments earlier than he was fatally shot on the Utah campus on Wednesday, Kirk was requested by an viewers member what number of mass shootings have been carried out by trans individuals in the US.
“Too many,” Kirk responded.
The Violence Prevention Venture at Hamline College discovered that almost all of shootings the place 4 or extra individuals have been wounded in a public location have been carried out by males. Simply 2% of shootings within the final decade have been carried out by girls and fewer than 1% have been by transgender individuals, in line with the information.
Robinson turned himself over to police after his father noticed photographs of him in a long-sleeved T-shirt and denims flashing throughout tv and pc screens amid the FBI’s sweeping manhunt for the shooter. The household known as their church bishop — additionally a neighbor — when Robinson threatened to take his personal life, in line with a legislation enforcement supply who was not approved to debate the investigation.
Cox has emphasised that authorities are nonetheless attempting to find out what led to the deadly taking pictures and what position, if any, political ideology performed within the incident. Extra data might come to gentle Tuesday when Robinson is anticipated to be criminally charged.
“The why behind this … we’re all drawing lots of conclusions on how someone like this could be radicalized. And I think that those are important questions for us to ask and important questions for us to answer,” Cox advised “Meet the Press.”
FBI Director Kash Patel makes remarks in regards to the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s slaying as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox seems on.
(Chris Samuels/The Salt Lake Tribune through Getty Photos)
In the meantime, Patel has confronted criticism for his postings on X within the hours after the taking pictures saying that the “subject for the horrific shooting” had been taken into custody. Lower than two hours later, investigators mentioned that they had dominated that particular person out as a suspect and launched them after questioning. Robinson wouldn’t be arrested for one more day.
The announcement was in sharp distinction to how the FBI and different legislation enforcement businesses sometimes deal with the arrest of a possible suspect in high-profile instances, particularly one the place the identification of a suspect will not be instantly clear. In related incidents up to now, legislation enforcement businesses will typically not affirm whether or not anybody in custody is a suspect till a number of hours after their detention in an effort to solidify their involvement.
Legislation enforcement and political sources talking on situation of anonymity mentioned Patel’s message didn’t align with the cautious strategy officers sometimes absorb such conditions and led to many questioning the director’s judgment.
Artwork Acevedo, former Houston and Austin police chief, mentioned Patel’s lack of expertise was evident in how he dealt with communications after the taking pictures.
“It’s unconscionable that at a historical high point for domestic and foreign threats, the FBI, the lead agency in combating them, is led by someone over his head. Our nation, the FBI, and the president deserve better,” Acevedo mentioned.
Even earlier than flying to Utah on Thursday, Patel held a gathering with senior brokers and unleashed on them. Patel and Bongino mentioned on the profanity-laced name Thursday morning that they have been beneath intense strain to arrest the killer, in line with the New York Occasions, which cited three individuals accustomed to the alternate. Patel additionally known as out brokers in Salt Lake Metropolis for not having shared images of the suspect with him sooner.
Patel’s actions appeared to spark confusion and frustration, even amongst conservative and right-wing pundits and politicians.
Joseph Biggs, a member of the right-wing Proud Boys who was convicted and sentenced for his position within the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the capital, blasted Patel on social media.
“Stop all this click bait s— you keep doing,” he wrote. “It’s unbecoming of the office in which you represent.”
In an interview on “Fox & Friends” on Monday, Patel defended his dealing with of the investigation, together with social media posts he made the day of the taking pictures.
“Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not,” he mentioned. “I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing and I’m continuing to do that.”
Patel is scheduled to testify earlier than the Senate and Home judiciary committees Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, about Patel’s oversight of the FBI.
