In the conservative town in southern Utah where Tyler Robinson grew up, his neighbors and classmates remember him as a low-key, intelligent young man from a Republican family, with a keen interest in video games, comic books and current affairs.

On Friday afternoon, people who knew Robinson were trying to reconcile their memories of him and his seemingly ordinary upbringing with a new image: that of the man accused of fatally shooting conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus earlier this week, an incident that authorities have called a political assassination.

"It's really sad that someone with such a mind would choose to use it this way," said a former high school classmate of Robinson.

According to an affidavit, the alleged perpetrator had recently spoken to a family member about Kirk's planned event in Utah. Robinson and the relative even discussed why they didn't like him and his views. 

Robinson's 22-year-old former classmate also said that the arrested man was considered a rather quiet student, until in 2012 when the issue of attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya, came to light, he spoke with confidence and certainty about what had really happened. He gave us a full explanation of what happened. I thought he knew a lot about this subject for someone who was 14 years old.

Robinson is registered to vote in Utah, but is not a member of a political party and has never voted in an election, according to the Washington County Clerk. His parents are registered Republicans, and both hold active hunting licenses.

Photos posted by the alleged gunman's family on social media show Robinson and his two younger brothers shooting and posing with guns.

Robinson surrendered to police Thursday night after a 33-hour manhunt. A police officer noted in a court affidavit that a family member of the suspect had described him as more political in recent years, claiming that during a recent dinner, Robinson had mentioned Kirk and his upcoming event at the University of Utah.

Authorities said they found, along with the gun, ammunition carved with phrases inspired by internet memes, as well as the words hey fascist! CATCH! (Hey fascist! Catch!).

A 22-year-old woman, who went to elementary and high school with Robinson, said he was an excellent student, always on time, consistent, hardworking and intelligent.

He's the kind of kid that, even if you're not his friend, you'd ask him to join your group project, he said. He's someone you'd expect to win an award for excellence. He also added that he really liked computers and that even though he wasn't popular, he was well-liked by people.

In 2021, Robinson's mother posted a video showing her son reading a letter saying he had received a $32,000 scholarship to the University of Utah. However, a university spokeswoman said that the alleged shooter only attended the university for one semester in 2021, as an undergraduate. The university is about two hours away from Utah Valley University, where the shooting took place.

The young man had most recently been living with at least one roommate in an apartment complex in St. George, about a 10-minute drive from his family's home. Police said they questioned Robinson's roommate, who showed them text messages from after the shooting, in which the suspect described leaving a rifle somewhere and changing clothes.

Robinson was a third-year electrical apprentice at Dixie Technical College in St. George. Several of his neighbors in the apartment complex where he lived described him as a reclusive person, saying they rarely saw him. He never spoke to anyone, said an 18-year-old who lived across the street from his apartment. He was always listening to loud music with his roommate.