Campus dwellers at Utah Valley University resume daily routines a week following the Charlie Kirk shooting incident
Students at Utah Valley University are returning to campus today, one week after the tragic shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. Kirk was killed while holding an outdoor event at the university on September 10.
Tyler Robinson, a suspect accused of assassinating Kirk, made a short court appearance on Tuesday. Prosecutors formally charged Robinson with aggravated murder, and announced their intent to seek the death penalty. Robinson was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Investigations by law enforcement continue, with Tyler Robinson as the primary suspect in the attack. Prosecutors revealed text messages between Robinson and his roommate, which suggest that the suspect had been planning the attack for over a week. One message from Robinson read, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."
Another message, found on Robinson's Discord chat, read, "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all...It was me at UVU yesterday. I'm sorry for all of this." The FBI Director, Kash Patel, is currently investigating a number of individuals linked to Robinson's Discord, a group chat messaging platform.
Prosecutors also revealed a note found underneath Robinson's keyboard, which said, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it," according to charging documents. After his father recognized Robinson in photographs, the suspect met with his parents and implied that he was the shooter. Robinson allegedly confessed he was the shooter two hours before being taken into custody on the Discord chat.
Charlie Kirk leaves behind a wife and two children. The tragic event has left a somber mood at Utah Valley University. Hope Ledkins, a first-year student at the university, expressed a "very sad, very somber feeling" about returning to class.
The suspect's next hearing is scheduled for September 29. The name of the suspect's roommate, who discussed the crime with him, is not mentioned in the search results. Additional conversations between the suspect and his roommate after the shooting were also revealed by prosecutors.
