Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old student who ‘killed’ Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah Valley University, was living with a transgender roommate, who was in the process of transitioning from a male to a female, the New York Post reported. He, per a report by the Daily Mail, tipped off the FBI, which ultimately led to his arrest.
Who is Lance Twiggs?
The person of interest here is Lance Twiggs – a 22-year-old “wannabe gamer”, just like Robinson. He and Robinson used to share a three-bedroom apartment in St George, Utah, and a relative confirmed to the Post that they were “roommates”.
Although the Daily Mail reported that Twiggs and Robinson used to share an apartment, it is unclear if he is a trans person. The fact that people are linking him to be one came after the Post and Fox News stated that one of his roommates is helping the FBI with the ongoing investigation.
Jerry Twiggs, his grandfather, told Daily Mail that he couldn’t confirm if he is a trans person, adding that he is unsure of the “exact situation”. He also denied commenting on whether transgenderism is the motive behind the shooting of a conservative commentator in Utah.
Post, too, said that the individual who is helping out the FBI is yet to be publicly identified, but added that Twiggs has been living at the same address as Robinson.
However, what Post could confirm was that relative labelling Twiggs as the “black sheep” of the family. Although she said that she is unaware if Twiggs was in a transition phase, she added that she wouldn’t be “surprised” if it was true. She, however, revealed that police took Twiggs for questioning.
Robinson’s alleged messages to Twiggs
He allegedly showed texts to the police from Robinson about stashing a gun, from which Robinson killed Kirk.
“Need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point,” the message, per an affidavit quoted by the Daily Mail, read. Twiggs, who is not named in the filing, quickly reported to the police.
He also allegedly texted him about “leaving the rifle in a bush”, “visually watching the area where the rifle was left”, and “rifle wrapped in a towel”. They also referred to “engraving bullets” and that the “rifle was unique”.
Police later found a Mauser .30-06 calibre rifle wrapped in a towel, abandoned in a wooded area near the Utah Valley University campus shortly after the shooting.
He attended Utah Tech University, which is near Robinson’s college, where he was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program. Twiggs has a TikTok account, where he posts shooting game videos. The account carries the bio: “Becoming TikTok pros one terrible video at a time.”
Other videos he shared were of microwaving a bottle of Mountain Dew and adding spaghetti to an Italian sandwich, Daily Mail reported.
One next-door neighbour told Daily Mail that both men were “reclusive” but didn’t find anything about Twiggs that indicated he was a trans person.
A third flatmate, who used to live with them, moved out a year ago, and no one has ever moved in since then. He, per the neighbour quoted by the Daily Mail, was also a male and didn’t appear to be a trans.
Is transgenderism the motive?
After Kirk was shot dead, many are saying that transgenderism is the real motive behind Kirk’s killings. Kirk was not pro “LQTBQ+” agenda and has often protested against same-sex marriages. He even opposed gender-reassignment surgeries.
During his “Prove Me Wrong” pop-up, question-and-answer events, he spoke to one trans male and warned him against “putting drugs into his body to change it”. He, however, suggested to him that he should first work on what’s going on in his brain. “I actually want to see you be comfortable in how you were born.”
The person agreed.
The bullet casings also had anti-fascist messages on them, along with one fascist song, Bella Ciao. The police have been investigating all the possible angles behind the motive.