Doubts over Kirk shooting suspect's appearance stem from AI-manipulated image

"So I'm supposed to believe the guy on that surveillance footage is the same one who turned himself in?" asks a September 15, 2025 Instagram post.

The post highlights purported discrepancies between the "person of interest" seen in security tape from Utah Valley University on September 10, when Kirk was shot, and the booking photos of 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson taken after his arrest September 12.

Similar posts theorizing that Robinson was a "fall guy" spread elsewhere on Facebook, X and Threads. One TikTok video received more than 1.6 million views.

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Screenshot of an Instagram post taken September 17, 2025

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Screenshot of a TikTok taken September 17, 2025

Prosecutors formally charged Robinson with murder September 16.

Kirk, 31, was a polarizing figure who generated a massive following among young conservatives. The rapidly developing story around his killing led to several false claims misidentifying the shooter amid the 33-hour manhunt punctuated by Robinson's arrest. 

In an appeal for help locating a suspect after the shooting, the FBI released stills from Utah Valley University security footage of the "person of interest" (archived here). The grainy, distant images show an individual wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses, which charging documents say was later recognized as Robinson by his parents.

The version of the image deemed suspicious by social media users is altered from one of the FBI's stills, a reverse image search revealed. Elsewhere on social media, AFP found posts that made references to supposedly "enhancing" the FBI image.

In the original, the figure is wearing a shirt with an eagle and American flag design. In the "enhanced" version, the symbol on his chest is warped, indicating that the image was generated using artificial intelligence. 

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This image released by the FBI shows a photo of a person of interest, later identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah, in the investigation into the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk that occurred September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah (AFP / FBI)

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Screenshot of an Instagram post taken September 17, 2025 with highlights added by AFP

Anatoliy Gruzd, director of research at Toronto Metropolitan University's Social Media Lab (archived here), told AFP the indiscernible logo is characteristic of generative AI's difficulties with reproducing detailed graphics.

Gruzd cautioned the technology was still capable of creating realistic images "with almost no effort."

"Avoid taking such content at face value, especially during fast-moving events," he said in a September 16 email.

Many social media posts claiming the AI-generated image proved Robinson was not seen in security footage blocked out the blurred shirt symbol, obscuring evidence that the figure's appearance was synthetic.

AFP has debunked more misinformation about the Kirk shooting here.