Family and friends of the 22-year-old charged with shooting to death conservative activist Charlie Kirk described his political views as "leaning left" in recent years, as he spent extensive time scrolling through "dark corners of the internet," Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Monday.
Investigators are still gathering information about the suspect, Tyler Robinson, and are not yet ready to discuss a potential motive. But Cox noted that Robinson, who is not cooperating with law enforcement, didn't like Kirk and may have been "radicalized" online by "cancer" social media.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA to bring more young conservative evangelical Christians into politics as effective activists, and he was President Donald Trump's confidant, leading to a flood of tributes, including a memorial service Saturday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, gained prominence through his lecture tours, and he was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.
"There clearly was a leftist ideology," Cox said on NBC's "Meet the Press," citing interviews with Robinson's family members and acquaintances. "Friends confirmed there was some kind of deep, dark internet, Reddit culture, and other dark places on the internet where this person was going deep."
He pointed to references found etched on the ammunition used to kill Kirk, which included anti-fascist language and meme culture. Court records show that one bullet casing had written on it, "Hey, fascist! Catch!"
Cox emphasized in several news programs where he was interviewed that investigators are still trying to identify a motive for the attack on Kirk, a Trump associate. The governor said more information may be released after Robinson appears in court on Tuesday.
