Utah Gov. Spencer Cox ‘hoped’ Charlie Kirk shooter would be a migrant; now reveals suspect Tyler Robinson isn’t cooperating

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said he was grateful for the swift arrest of a suspect in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk but admitted he had hoped the shooter was not from Utah or even the United States, a remark that has sparked online criticism. “For 33 hours, I was praying that if this had to happen here that it wouldn’t be one of us, that somebody drove from another state, somebody came from another country… Sadly, that prayer was not answered the way I hoped for… But it did happen here, and it was one of us,” Cox said during a news conference, as quoted by TOI on Friday, September 12.


The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt following Kirk’s fatal shooting on stage in Orem on Wednesday. Now, while speaking to ABC News on Sunday, September 14, Cox said the alleged gunman is “not co-operating” with authorities and has not confessed to the killing. He noted, however, that “people around Mr Robinson” have been co-operating with investigators.

What else did the governor say?

The governor was also asked about a New York Times report alleging that Robinson had spoken to others on the Discord messaging platform after the shooting, including claims that he joked about being the gunman. Cox told ABC News, “All we can confirm is that those conversations definitely were happening, and they did not believe it was actually him. It was, it was all joking until, until he, you know, until he admitted that it actually was him.”

Robinson was arrested on Thursday night after surrendering to police. Kirk, 31, was shot and killed while speaking at an open-air Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, part of the group’s American Comeback Tour, which had taken him to several college campuses across the country. Cox had previously told the Wall Street Journal that Robinson, a Utah native, was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.”

What did he said earlier about the shooter

While speaking at Friday’s press conference, Cox was joined by FBI Director Kash Patel. He described Kirk’s killing as “an attack not just on an individual but on democratic principles.” Warning that political violence threatens the very foundation of American society, he added, “It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are.”

Cox’s remarks prompted a wave of reactions online, with one commenter writing: “The guy being a straight white male from a Republican household was absolutely devastating for them. They will push the mental health narrative now since they do not want it to be a gun issue,” as quoted by TOI.

Where is the suspected Kirk killer Tyler Robinson now

Tyler Robinson is currently in custody at the Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork on charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice, according to a jail officer. The FBI and state authorities also confirmed that the attack was intended.