A Utah man accused of murdering American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, surrendered to authorities out of fear of being shot by the police, according to a sheriff involved in his arrest last Wednesday. The Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby stated that Robinson appeared silent and depressed when he turned himself in at the police station with his parents last Thursday, the day after Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University.
Sheriff Brooksby mentioned that Robinson was afraid of facing a heavily armed SWAT team at his parents’ house or his apartment and was genuinely scared of being shot by law enforcement officers. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old Robinson was charged with capital murder by prosecutors and they announced they would seek the death penalty. Prosecutors also revealed a series of information and DNA evidence linking Robinson to Kirk’s death.
Robinson appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday, and a judge said a lawyer would be appointed for him. The Associated Press reached out to Robinson’s family for comment, but they have declined to speak to the media since his arrest. Utah Valley University, where the shooting took place, is over three hours’ drive from the area near St. George where Robinson grew up.
Sheriff Brooksby expressed shock when a retired detective and a friend of Robinson’s family called him to say that he knew the identity of the perpetrator and was trying to convince him to surrender. “I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying,” Brooksby said. The detective informed him that Robinson might have suicidal tendencies and was in a remote area in the southwestern part of Utah. An hour later, Robinson arrived at the sheriff’s office and was greeted by plainclothes detectives.
“He knew that the inevitable was going to happen— that he’d be caught. If we could possibly allow him the chance to surrender peacefully, then I’m willing to make some concessions to make that happen,” the sheriff said.
(This article is based on reporting from the Associated Press)