Further, the arrest of a suspect in the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has punctuated the toll this war on cops is taking. He had his date with death during a speaking engagement, at a thriving campus where thousands of students had attended just days before. The recent event in Orem, Utah, received a lot of media spotlight. Law enforcement acted swiftly to contain the situation.
Kash Patel, one of the driving forces behind that investigation, educated the audience with a painstakingly detailed timeline of events leading up to and following the shooting. He then went on to brag about having flown to Orem with his deputy, Dan Bongino, just a day earlier. During the briefing, Patel noted that by Friday morning, authorities had received over 11,000 calls from individuals providing information related to the case.
The alleged shooter has been identified as Tyler Robinson, a former Utah Valley University student. Tucson police investigators later found that Robinson had developed an elaborate plan to murder Kirk. His animus toward the activist blinded him to the wickedness of this goal. Utah Governor Spencer Cox praised the investigation, praising law enforcement for their hard work in quickly processing information at the time while on the lookout for Robinson.
“In 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie,” – Kash Patel
On the morning of the shooting, Robinson’s gray Dodge Challenger was recorded entering the campus at 8:29 am. The shooting itself played out quickly, resulting in Robinson’s arrest three hours later. On the crime scene, authorities found a Mauser model 98 rifle, configured in .30-06 caliber. The weapon had been wrapped in a dark-colored towel and was found with an attached scope.
Meanwhile, investigators worked tirelessly to reconstruct the timeline leading up to the shooting. There, too, they found interesting etchings on the casings left at the raccoon’s crime scene. Some of these engravings had incendiary slogans like “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “[Oh bella ciao].” Another casing bore the inscription “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO [laughing my ass off].”
Patel told NPR that the partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement was key to cracking the case. He stated, “A case like this cannot be solved, cannot be brought, without partnering with your state and local authorities.” And he promised Americans that each new lead they received would be pursued immediately and completely.
“Every one of those leads will be run out,” – Kash Patel
The community and political leaders’ response has been immediate and impassioned. Governor Spencer Cox in an official statement called it “a disappointing day for Utah and our nation.” While thanking everyone involved for the progress made in catching the suspect, he recognized the situation’s grim reality.
“This is a very sad day for our country, a terrible day for the state of Utah, but I’m grateful that at this moment we have an opportunity to bring closure to this very dark chapter in our nation’s history.” – Spencer Cox
Former President Donald Trump gave his thoughts on the incident while doing an interview. He stressed how important it was for releasing video footage to help identify Robinson. He observed the role that social media played in influencing narratives around such incidents.
“It was that release that put the crowd sourcing and the public identification of this guy into high gear. It paid dividends,” – Andrew McCabe
As this tragic story unfolds, investigators continue to probe Robinson’s motivations. At the same time, local leaders are imploring community members to focus on the positive, support one another and root for their hometown. In closing, Governor Cox implored everyone to get involved, starting with their families and communities.
“Log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community,” – Spencer Cox
Law enforcement’s hell bent on making Charlie Kirk pay for his gluttonous Friday. Beyond that, they’re concentrating on addressing the root causes that led to this violent display. Only continued investigation into Tyler Robinson’s background and motivations will shed additional light on this tragic and disturbing incident.