Did Tyler Robinson debate Charlie Kirk before shooting? Fact checking viral video

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah native, was arrested after emerging as a suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.

Published on: Sep 14, 2025, 24:45:06 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

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A viral video has been circulating online claiming that Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested in Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting, debated the conservative political activist earlier.

A viral video claimed Charlie Kirk humiliated Tyler Robinson in a debate. (REUTERS)

Kirk, 31, was shot dead when attending an event at the Utah Valley University on September 10. Robinson emerged as the person of interest in the Turning Point USA founder's killing, before the FBI announced that they had their man.

What are people online claiming about the video

The video shared by unverified X handles shows Charlie Kirk at a university, debating a man holding a megaphone in his hand. The text accompanying the clip claimed that Robinson had debated Kirk a year back, and had been ‘humiliated’ in the heated exchange.

However, these claims have now been proven false. The video was fact-checked on X, with context being added that the debate had actually taken place at Oklahoma State University, and the man shown was one Stone Lambert, who was a student there. The person in the clip is not Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested in Kirk's shooting, the text further clarified.

Also Read | Tyler Robinson-Nick Fuentes row: Activist responds to new claims on Charlie Kirk shooter

Besides, several people also flocked to the comment section to remark ‘not him’.

Update on Tyler Robinson

Authorities said they had recovered bullet casings with anti-fascist texts after Tyler Robinson was arrested. However, they did not share a motive for Kirk's killing yet.

The internet, however, was abuzz with unverified claims that Robinson might be a Groyper – a member of an alt-right group.

Meanwhile, a report from New York Post has now claimed that Robinson was living with a transgender partner who was transforming from male to female. Daily Mail revealed that Lance Twiggs was living with Robinson in a three-bedroom apartment in Saint George, Utah. However, Mail noted that it remained unclear if Twiggs is the ‘transgender partner’ who the Post reported is cooperating in the investigation. HT.com has not been able to independently verify these reports.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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