'Too much online time': Why Tyler Robinson shot Charlie Kirk? Here's what his friends reveal
While investigators focus on his motives, former classmates are now stepping forward to shed light on his personality and high school years.
‘He was a Reddit kid’
One of Robinson’s former classmates from the Class of 2021 recalled seeing him around school frequently. “I went to school with this Tyler Robinson kid. That’s him right there on the class sheet,” he said. “I didn’t know him very well, but I definitely saw him for three straight years in high school. The best way I could describe him is just like a Reddit kid.”
‘Could have done anything for clout’
The classmate suggested that Robinson’s heavy online presence may have shaped his worldview. “This is the kind of thing that happens when you spend way too much time online. Your beliefs swing all the way this way or that way, and you end up doing something dramatic to please people who are not even your friends,” he added.
‘Very, very big into gaming’
Another student, speaking to CNN, said Robinson was “very, very big into gaming” and often played card games with friends during lunch breaks. Despite being quiet and a little shy, he was considered fun to be around.
“He was goofy, fun to talk to, but didn’t open up very often,” the classmate said.
A portrait of contradictions
The classmates’ recollections paint Robinson as a mix of internet-obsessed, socially reserved, and deeply immersed in gaming culture. While none of them suggested he was violent in school, they implied his isolation and online echo chambers may have had an outsized influence on him.
What’s next?
Robinson, 22, was arrested on Friday after a three-day manhunt that followed Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University. He is currently in custody at Utah County Jail, awaiting charges. Meanwhile, classmates and acquaintances are struggling to reconcile the quiet, shy boy they knew with the suspect now accused of one of the most shocking political killings in recent years.
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