On Friday night, FBI agents swarmed Robinson’s childhood home, loading containers of evidence into an armored vehicle as local police blocked off the street, barring even homeowners from approaching. Neighbors whispered in disbelief as news crews documented the scene.
For many, the name Tyler Robinson was not that of a stranger, but of a local kid they’d grown up with — now at the center of one of the most high-profile political murders in years.
Robinson’s neighbor, Shawn Dockstader (Jeremiah Hassell)
“I’m ashamed to be living next to somebody who would do something so cruel,” neighbor Shawn Dockstader, 52, told The Mirror US. “I wish it wasn’t here.” He also said that he had minimal interaction with the family.
“We Never Expected This”
Others who knew Robinson as a child were equally stunned. Kyelan and Kamber Funk, siblings who attended the same schools as Robinson, described him as polite, if reserved.
“He kept to himself,” Kyelan said. “He wasn’t a super weird kid that you would expect to do anything like this.”
Siblings Kyelan and Kamber say Robinson was ‘a nice, quiet kid (Jeremiah Hassell)
Kamber, now a senior at Pine View High School, said the shock hit especially hard when she realized the manhunt had ended practically in her backyard. “We also live just right down the street, so hearing that this is happening right next to us is kind of crazy. I haven’t processed yet.”
Former Boy Scout acquaintances echoed the disbelief, telling locals they would “never have expected this” from someone they remembered as “a nice, quiet kid.”
Processing the Unthinkable
Friends once speculated Robinson could have been a billionaire by 25 before spiraling into darkness. He now faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm resulting in serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors say he shot Kirk in the neck from nearly 200 yards away as the Turning Point USA founder debated students about mass shootings at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Alleged shooter Tyler Robinson.
For those who knew him only as a neighbor, the news has been overwhelming. “That’s just like, a whole lot to unpack,” said Kyelan, who was at work when Robinson’s arrest was announced. “I really haven’t wrapped my head around it yet.”
A Silver Lining
Despite the shock, residents say the tragedy has brought the neighborhood closer together.
“We have a Facebook group, and everyone’s being there for each other and offering any help if anyone needs anything,” Kamber said. “Everyone’s always been super nice to each other. I feel like this is just going to tie us together even more.”
What was once a peaceful community is now tied to a crime that made national headlines, but neighbors insist they won’t let Robinson’s alleged act define them.
