SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk is being held without bail at a Utah jail today. Twenty-two-year-old Tyler Robinson allegedly fired the single shot from a high-powered rifle that on Wednesday killed the conservative activists and media personality known for his appeal to young people. Police arrested Robinson Thursday night. Steve Futterman joins us from outside the Utah County Jail in Spring Fork, Utah. Hi, Steve.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: Hi there, Scott.
DETROW: So Robinson is being held where you are now. Officials said yesterday they don't believe anyone else was involved. Is that still the case?
FUTTERMAN: Yeah, yes. However, like any investigation, authorities want to go through things like Robinson's cell phone, any computers he used, and they want to speak with those who knew him. Now, yesterday, officials said that Robinson had expressed negative views about Charlie Kirk, and one of those unused bullet casings had the words, hey fascist, catch, written on it. But if the motive was political, like it appears to be to some, officials want to know if there was something that pushed Robinson over the edge.
DETROW: Last night, we heard from Charlie Kirk's widow. Tell us about that.
FUTTERMAN: Yeah, that's right. Erika Kirk spoke on a live stream for around 15 minutes. She spoke from Phoenix from the same studio that Kirk often used for his podcasts. Now, at times, her voice cracked. She dabbed her eyes on several occasions, but her main message seemed to be that Charlie Kirk's movement will continue.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ERIKA KIRK: If you thought that my husband's mission was powerful before, you have no idea. To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. It won't. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die.
FUTTERMAN: And Erika Kirk blamed what she called evildoers for the death of her husband.
DETROW: And as police try to figure out Tyler Robinson's motivations, people who knew him, people in his hometown, are taking this all in. What are we hearing from them?
FUTTERMAN: Yeah, absolutely. He lived with his parents in the small southwest Utah town of Washington with a population of around 30,000. It's not far from the city of St. George. We have not heard, at least at this point, any neighbors describe him as odd or acting strange. People who knew him have told reporters Robinson wasn't necessarily part of the cool kids in high school, but he was well liked and a good student. Melissa Tait, a neighbor of the Robinson family, told our colleagues at member station KUER that she worries events like this are becoming more and more normal.
MELISSA TAIT: This is everywhere - every community, every town, every state. It's going to be everybody's neighbor, everybody's classmate. It's not at all unusual anymore.
FUTTERMAN: And of course, it was Robinson's father who initially confronted his son, telling him that he thought his son was the one being shown in pictures released by police. Now, on the Utah Valley University campus where Kirk was killed, there's a sense of relief today that someone has been arrested, but Raymond Lopez, a nursing student, says there are still plenty of concerns.
RAYMOND LOPEZ: My and a lot of our peers - our biggest fear is retaliation or something happening again. Class has been pushed off till Wednesday. I will say that I did sign the petition for him not to come because I thought it was going to incite violence. Sadly, I think that is what happened.
DETROW: So is it fair to say that...
FUTTERMAN: Now, at the Utah University...
DETROW: Go on. Go ahead.
FUTTERMAN: ...Campus, there's a growing memorial with flowers. And the next event we're waiting for is Tyler Robinson to be formally charged. That's expected on Tuesday. At that time, he will make his first court appearance.
DETROW: That is Steve Futterman in Spring Fork, Utah. Thank you so much.
FUTTERMAN: Thanks, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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