Jordan Brann, who went to Pine View High School in St. George, Utah, posted a TikTok that has since been deleted in which he said he knew the suspect, Tyler Robinson, from school.
Brann said, “Tyler Robinson and I went to school together.” “I can best describe him as a kid who uses Reddit. You know those kinds of kids from high school? That’s exactly what he was.
Brann made it clear in a second video that he wasn’t friends with Robinson, but he did see him a lot over the course of three years. It looked like he was the kind of kid who spent a lot of time online. I made the video because I wanted to show how people act when they spend too much time online.
The video quickly became popular, getting over two million views in just three days. This started a conversation about how online culture affects young people.
“Too Much Time on the Internet”
Brann said in his posts that the suspect’s heavy internet use could have influenced his beliefs. “This is what happens when you spend too much time online and all of a sudden your beliefs are all the way this way or all the way that way, and you do some crazy things to make people who aren’t your friends happy,” he said.
Tyler Robinson’s classmate speaks out.
Worth watching.
Less than a minute long.
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) September 12, 2025
Other students say that the suspect was a normal, quiet student who played in the band and was a member of the auto mechanics club. He got good grades and got a four-year scholarship to Utah State University, but he only went to school for one semester before dropping out. He later went to Dixie Technical College, where he was in his third year of the electrical apprenticeship program at the time of the shooting.
Bullets Inspired by the Internet
Authorities say that the suspect’s bullets had internet memes and anti-fascist references carved into them. One casing supposedly said, “Notices bulge OWO, what’s this?” This is a phrase that people use online to make fun of people who are furry.
Another one said, “Hey, Fascists!” “Catch” with arrows pointing in different directions, which some people think were a reference to the Iron Front or the video game Helldivers 2. Other casings had the words to the anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao” on them, and one said, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
Governor Spencer Cox of Utah said the details were disturbing and that the engravings show how much of the case is connected to internet culture.
The Shooting and the Arrest
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck while giving a speech at Utah Valley University on September 10. They took him to the hospital quickly, but he died later.
The 22-year-old suspect was arrested less than 34 hours later after his father saw him in surveillance footage released by the FBI and told him to turn himself in. He was arrested Thursday night close to his home in southern Utah.
Authorities say he faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. Officials said at a press conference that he could get the death penalty if he is found guilty.
Governor Cox said at a press conference, “We got him,” to announce the arrest.