ST. GEORGE, Utah – As new information about the shooting suspect emerges, details about his past are coming to light. Tyler Robinson, the man arrested and charged with the murder of Charlie Kirk, attended Pine View high school in Southern Utah.
Sam New, a former classmate of Robinson, shared insights into Robinson’s background. New described Robinson as “conservative” during their time at Pine View High School, noting that most people in the area were raised by conservative parents.
New explained that he and Robinson were acquaintances, having been part of a gaming club in high school. New graduated in 2020 and Robinson graduated in 2021. New emphasized that extremist ideologies were not a topic of conversation during their high school years.
“We were all kids, we didn’t think about things as extreme as this, at least from our relationship,” New said.
New found out about Robinson’s arrest through a text exchange with other classmates. He says the impact of the incident will leave a last impression on the tight-knit community. “We talk about Southern Utah being a really safe. Like this kind of thing wouldn’t happen here. I think we’ve been seeing more and more stuff like that in the past few years,” New said.
Living in Utah, New said he cannot escape the videos of Kirk’s death online and now grapples with the reality that his high school classmate is the accused shooter.
“It’s going to pop up everywhere… especially now that it’s out, I’m going to get messages from everybody, seeing old Facebook pages, it’s now going to be deliberate and I think that’s what happens with any big story in a local area,” New said.
New also expressed sympathy for the families involved, acknowledging the ripple effect the tragedy has on the community.
“I think the biggest goes out to his family and the victim’s family and the ripple effect of everyone I know dealing with the fallout, and mostly I’m just worried about them and everyone involved,” New said.
