Rifle Used In Kirk Shooting Gift From Alleged Shooter S Father

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 9:46 PM

rifle used in kirk shooting gift from alleged shooter s father

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Losee Center building near where conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. The man accused of killing conservative commentator Charlie Kirk got the gun authorities say he used in the fatal Utah Valley University shooting from his grandfather, according to charging documents filed Tuesday. The suspect also described the messages he allegedly engraved into bullet casings that authorities later recovered from the scene as “mostly a big meme.” Prosecutors held a news conference Tuesday after formally filing charges against Tyler James Robinson, 22, in connection with Kirk’s killing. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray, who is leading the prosecution, said they intend to seek the death penalty.

According to a probable cause statement filed after Robinson was first arrested early Friday, the gun used in the shooting was a Mauser Model 98, .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle with a mounted scope. The hunting-style rifle is able to hold five rounds. By GERMANIA RODRIGUEZ POLEO, US CHIEF REPORTER Published: 13:13 EST, 17 September 2025 | Updated: 14:35 EST, 17 September 2025 The father of Charlie Kirk's alleged killer realized his son was the shooter after recognizing an unusual rifle shown in media reports of the hunt for the assassin, according to officials. Matt Robinson allegedly told authorities that he and his wife became alarmed the day after Kirk was murdered in Utah, when they saw images of the suspect and the weapon he used on the...

The shocked father recognized his own dad's gun in the images released by police, as Tyler Robinson's grandfather had given him the rifle as a gift before he used it to murder Kirk, officials... Prosecutors have filed a notice to seek the death penalty for Robinson. Tyler Robinson, who is accused of assassinating conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, has been formally charged with a slew of offenses, including aggravated murder, with prosecutors announcing the intent to seek the death penalty. Robinson, 22, has also been 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... Gray, who described Kirk's death as "an American tragedy," said he does not "take this decision lightly" in regard to seeking the death penalty for Robinson.

The suspected shooter will continue to be held without bail. Robinson made his first appearance in court virtually on Tuesday, where a judge read off the suspect’s charges. He will remain in custody. Alleged assassin Tyler Robinson called the gun he used to kill Charlie Kirk “grandpa’s rifle” and obsessed over leaving it at the scene in messages to his transgender boyfriend, authorities revealed Tuesday. Robinson, 22, fired off a slew of texts to beau Lance Twiggs, also 22, fewer than three hours after allegedly killing the conservative icon, panicking about not being able to explain it to his... “I’m worried what my old man would do if I don’t bring back grandpa’s rifle,” Robinson wrote to Twiggs at 2:55 p.m.

on Sept. 10 — after having fatally shot Kirk, 31, during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University shortly before 12:30 p.m., Gray said. “IDK if it has a serial number but it wouldn’t trace to me,” Robinson allegedly wrote. “I’m worried about prints, I had to leave it in a bush where i changed outfits, didn’t have the ability or time to take it with.’ “How the F will I explain losing it to my old man,” Robinson wrote, according to Gray. Tyler Robinson allegedly texted his romantic partner: "I’m worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back grandpas rifle"

Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, was allegedly gifted the rifle used in the assassination by his family, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 16. According to Gray, DNA "consistent with Robinson" was found on the trigger of the bolt action rifle found near the crime scene that police believe was used to shoot Kirk on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem. Gray said that when law enforcement later spoke with Robinson's father after Robinson had been identified as a suspect, the dad "believed that the rifle that police suspected the shooter used matched a rifle... In texts Robinson allegedly sent his roommate and romantic partner after the killing, the 22-year-old suspect wrote the "only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel."

OREM, UT — Behind Utah Valley University's Losee building, FBI forensics agents were still gathering evidence Sept. 11 in the wooded area where the bureau said agents recovered the "high-powered" rifle a shooter used to kill political influencer Charlie Kirk. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times, citing law-enforcement sources, reported it was an older model Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle. An ATF spokesperson declined to comment to USA TODAY, citing the active investigation. Evidence markers on a small hill behind the building appeared to mark the trail the shooter took, scrambling through some trees towards a nearby construction site. Charlie Kirk shooting live updates: New person of interest sought by FBI, rifle found

At the site, Dylan Hope, an electrician, told USA TODAY that his colleague, who was operating an excavator Wednesday, Sept. 10, when the shooting took place, believes he spoke with the gunman. Hope said his colleague spoke with a young man who appeared on the site and asked if he could walk through it. More than two weeks after Charlie Kirk, the conservative firebrand and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University, attorneys for his suspected killer appeared in... Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old who grew up in a Utah suburb and briefly attended Utah State University before dropping out and enrolling in an electrical apprenticeship program, faces a flurry of charges in Utah... He did not enter a plea to the charges against him at the Monday waiver hearing.

Robinson, who is being held in custody without bail, appeared in Utah’s Fourth District Court virtually, without video. The hearing is part of the state’s case against the alleged shooter, as the possibility of federal charges still looms. The hearing marked Robinson’s defense attorneys’ first appearances as his counsel. They scheduled another waiver hearing for October 30, where the suspect will appear in person. Prosecutor Chad Grunander said Monday there was a “voluminous” amount of discovery material in the case, which he would provide to the defense shortly. He noted the killing took place in front of thousands of students at Utah Valley University, so the process to identify witnesses could be laborious.

Fox News Digital sees police officers taping off the crime scene where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Utah Valley University's campus. The gun recovered by authorities in the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a bolt-action rifle — a common hunting weapon valued for its reliability but limited to a single shot before reloading. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who described Kirk's assassination as a "watershed moment," said during a Friday press conference that inscriptions were detected on bullet casings found with the rifle. Inscriptions on a fired casing read: "notices, bulges, OwO, what's this?" Other unused casings read, "Hey fascist! Catch!" and "If you read this you are gay lmao," Cox said.

Unlike a semiautomatic, the shooter must manually operate the bolt handle to cycle the weapon: lifting and pulling it back moves the spent cartridge, while pushing it forward chambers a new round from the... Lowering the bolt locks the round and seals the chamber, making the rifle ready to fire again — a simple, durable design that has kept it popular among hunters and target shooters. "This process limits the rate of fire, you can only take one shot at a time," explained retired Marine Lt. Col. Hal Kempfer in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Rifle Used In Kirk Shooting Gift From Alleged Shooter S Father

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(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Losee Center

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On Sept. 10 — After Having Fatally Shot Kirk, 31,