'It was one of us': Utah governor Spencer Cox hoped Charlie Kirk shooter was not from US; faces backlash online

Utah governor Spencer Cox said Friday that while he was grateful for the quick arrest of a suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination, he had hoped the shooter was not from Utah or the US - a comment that drew online criticism.

During a news conference, Cox said he had prayed that the shooter “wouldn’t be one of us.” “For 33 hours, I was praying that if this had to happen here that it wouldn't be one of us — that somebody drove from another state, somebody came from another country… Sadly, that prayer was not answered the way I hoped for… But it did happen here, and it was one of us,” he added.

Cox called Kirk’s murder “an attack not just on an individual but on democratic principles.”

He warned that political violence threatens the foundation of American society, saying, “It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are.”Cox’s comments prompted a wave of reactions online. One person commented, “The guy being a straight white male from a Republican household was absolutely devastating for them. They will push the mental health narrative now since they do not want it to be a gun issue.”

Another called out the irony of him saying this with Indian-origin FBI director Kash Patel standing behind him. “He thought it was the brown guy behind him?”“These people can't stop exposing themselves. He says he was praying it was an immigrant to justify their emotional racist view points. You can't make this up,” commented one person.

Tyler Robinson arrested in Kirk’s shooting

Tyler Robinson is currently being held at the Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork on charges including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice, according to a jail officer.The FBI and state authorities confirmed the attack was targeted, raising concerns about the growing threat of political violence in the U.S.US Vice President JD Vance expressed gratitude to Governor Cox and law enforcement for their swift work in the case. In a post on X, Vance wrote, “I am grateful to Governor Spencer Cox, Utah law enforcement, Kash Patel, and the FBI for giving this case the time, resources, and hard work it deserved. This is a big breakthrough, and everyone who helped—from the law enforcement professionals to the people giving tips—deserves our credit and gratitude.

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