Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson negotiated 'gentle' surrender, was afraid of being shot: sheriff

More details have emerged about how alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson was turned over to police while the manhunt for a suspect ensued. 

Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said at a news conference on Wednesday that he received a call from a former law enforcement friend telling him Robinson, 22, was the shooter. Robinson reportedly had suicidal thoughts, but was convinced by his parents not to harm himself. 

Brooksby said Robinson was afraid of a SWAT raid on his home and being shot by the police, which were also motives for willingly presenting himself to the sheriff's office.

Booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)

According to Brooksby,

Robinson asked for a "peaceful, gentle" surrender, a condition to which the sheriff agreed in order to get him to turn himself in. He was described as "quiet and somber" upon apprehension. 

TIMELINE OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION 

Brooksby's office did not question Robinson while he waited for the lead investigators to arrive. 

Speaking about Robinson's family and roommate, the sheriff said "they need to lay low for a long time," but did not elaborate further. 

According to Brooksby, there is a Washington County Sheriff's deputy with the last name Robinson who is not related to the shooter, as was initially rumored. He asked the media to make that point clear, as the unrelated Robinson continues to be harassed. 

Robinson's lover, who is transgender, lived in a townhouse with him for about a year, according to a relative who spoke to Fox News Digital. 

"He hates conservatives and Christians," the relative said. "He hated us. He was not raised that way, but he, over the years, has become really detached [and] been radicalized."

"He has obviously gotten progressively worse the last year or two," the relative said, adding that he's "always very angry."

Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK 

Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

Kirk was hosting the first event in his "The American Comeback" tour last Wednesday when he was shot and killed.

Authorities say that Robinson climbed onto the roof of the Losee Center at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and discharged one round from a rifle, striking Kirk in the neck. 

Kirk, a conservative titan who traveled the country fostering debate and open dialogue with university students, was pronounced dead a short while later. 

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Fox News' Adam Sabes contributed to this report.