Defense in Charlie Kirk's killing argue against death penalty, said shooter hit 'intended target'

The man charged with killing Charlie Kirk shouldn't get the death penalty because the shooter "hit the intended target" and no one else was endangered when the conservative activist was shot from a rooftop at an event in Utah last year, his lawyers said. Defendant Tyler Robinson's attorneys say the bullet traveled above the crowd of several thousand people at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 and "there were no threats to others." Whether the shooting endangered the crowd is a key issue: Prosecutors cited the risk that other people could have been harmed as an aggravating factor under state law that makes Kirk's killing a capital crime. "The only evidence presented supports that the bullet traveled above, not through, the crowd," defense attorneys wrote in documents filed late Tuesday as the defense tries to block the case from proceeding to trial. Prosecutors have said numerous people were within a "zone of danger" around Kirk, where a stray or ricocheting bullet could have hurt anyone close to the victim. 1 so the case can proceed.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open PBS NewsHour ↗