Charlie Kirk suspect Tyler Robinson bragged about 450-yard shot, former co-worker recalls
OREM, UTAH: Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, once boasted about his long-distance marksmanship, according to a former coworker who spoke exclusively to The New York Post.
The man, a 25-year-old electrician who worked alongside Robinson in 2023, said the suspect was largely withdrawn on the job except when firearms came up.
Former coworker recalls Tyler Robinson showed an obsession with guns
“Right after Black Friday, I had just got done working and was showing my supervisor the new pistol I bought,” the electrician recalled. “We were out by the trucks, and then Tyler and another guy came over, and we were all talking about what kinds of guns we were going to get or had bought. They started talking about their longest shots. Tyler said he made a 450-yard shot.”
“That was the only time we got Robinson to converse with us when we were talking about guns that day,” the coworker added. “He got excited about it—at least, as excited as he could get. He never really showed much emotion. He was just kind of, I don’t know, blank. He was really quiet.”
Robinson was employed by High Output Electric, subcontracted through Wilde Electric to wire a new apartment complex in St George, Utah. Company owner Shane Bennett confirmed Robinson worked there until late 2023, though he could not recall whether he resigned or was dismissed.
The coworker said news of Kirk’s death immediately triggered memories of Robinson’s comments. “I was shocked when I heard the news yesterday—I was like, ‘It can’t be that Tyler,’ so I called my old coworker at Wilde Electric and asked if Tyler showed up to work today. He said no, maybe he’s at a different site. And I was like, ‘Dude, I think Tyler was the one who did the shooting.’ He didn’t believe me.”
“He was the last person I thought would do this. When I heard that the suspect was a young guy from St George, there were hundreds of other people I thought would be capable of it before him,” the electrician said.
Authorities allege Robinson fired a single sniper shot from the roof of Utah Valley University’s Losee Center, killing Kirk as he addressed a crowd of 3,000 from a tent roughly 200 yards away. Robinson, arrested the following day, now faces charges of aggravated murder.
Tyler Robinson displayed silent rage through clenched fists
While Utah Governor Spencer Cox called the killing a politically motivated “assassination,” Robinson’s former colleague described him as someone who avoided political conversations altogether.
“I remember one time we were talking about politics in one of the units, and instead of sitting in the room with us, Tyler went into the back laundry room, sat on a bucket, and I think put an earbud in.”
Still, the coworker remembered one habit that stood out.
“Tyler walked around with clenched fists all the time – like, super hard clenched fists,” he said. “I remember making a joke to him one time when he had his fists like that, I was like, ‘Are you angry, Tyler?’ And he was like…’That’s just what I do.’ He was always soft-spoken but his fists were always like that. Even in the security footage from UVU, you can see he’s got his fists clenched tight.”
