WASHINGTON (TNND) — Tyler Robinson, political activist Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, was living with a transgender partner, according to reporting from Fox News.
The individual, who is yet to be publicly identified by law enforcement, is fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation into the shooting of Kirk. According to public records, 22-year-old Lance Twiggs resided at the same apartment as Robinson.
A relative of Twiggs confirmed to the New York Post on Saturday, saying, “yes, they were roommates.”
Twiggs’ family member told the Post that Twiggs was the “black sheep” of the family, who are based in St. George, Utah. The relative, however, declined to speculate about a romantic relationship between the two.
The relative also said they were not aware of Twiggs’ politics or transitioning, but said it would not surprise them.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck by a single bullet on Wednesday at his “American Comeback” event held at Utah Valley University. Kirk was shot after answering a question about transgender shooters.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” asked attendee Hunter Kozak, according to the New York Post.
“Too many,” Kirk responded.
“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kozak asked in a follow-up question.
Kirk, who was a self-declared evangelical Christian, criticized gay rights, calling it the “LGBTQ agenda,” expressing opposition to same-sex marriages and speaking out against gender-reassignment surgeries and procedures.
Twiggs’ relative said they knew Twiggs was brought in for questioning by police authorities. No one was present at the townhouse that Robinson and Twiggs allegedly shared on Saturday.
Text messages between Twiggs and Robinson helped authorities find the accused assassin. Robinson turned himself in to the authorities after being confronted by his father and talking to a youth minister about the shooting, according to law enforcement sources.
The two shared communications from a contact named “Tyler” on Discord that described some bullet casings that were similar to those found at the crime scene and discussed the “need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point.“
Casings were found at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot, and bore inscriptions. One stated, ”Hey fascist! catch!” The bullets were fired roughly 200 yards away from Kirk and shot from an imported .30-06-caliber Mauser bolt-action rifle.
Investigators found the firearm wrapped in a towel in a wooded area.
According to an affidavit that detailed the two’s Discord discussions, there were also “messages from contact Tyler also mentioning that he had changed outfits.”
Authorities are planning to seek an aggravated murder charge against Robinson on Friday based on the messages that provided evidence for authorities. This is the only charge to carry the death penalty.
Robinson grew up in a largely conservative Mormon family, though he was not registered with either major political party. Robinson also appeared to have become infatuated with the far left in recent years, according to the authorities.
“It’s very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday.
Cox also revealed in the interview that a recent family dinner showed Robinson’s newfound beliefs. Robinson and a relative argued over Kirk’s viewpoints and how each “didn’t like” the 31-year-old conservative activist.
Robinsonalso discussed with his roommate how he allegedly etched messages onto bullets.
Discord, asocial networking platform,said in a statement Friday, there was “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.”
“The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages,” the company added.
The FBI is currently looking for a possible motive within “a mountain of evidence,” including the relationship between Robinson and Twiggs. The evidence also includes “every connection, every group, every link and anyone tied” to Kirk’s shooting, according to what a law enforcement source told the New York Post.