Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson negotiated 'gentle' surrender, was afraid of being shot: sheriff

Brooksby said Robinson knew that it was "inevitable" that he would be caught, and was afraid of a SWAT raid on his home. He was also afraid of being shot by the police, the sheriff said.

According to Brooksby, the call from his friend came in at 8:02 p.m. on Thursday. 

"I could tell his voice was kind of shaky, so my first thought is, 'who died?'" he said. "'Like who's he gonna tell me that died?' And then I couldn't fathom what actually came out of his mouth." 

"So he said, 'hey, I know who Charlie Kirk's shooter is. I know the family through religious association, and he's in Washington County now, and we're working to get him to come in voluntarily,'" Brooksby continued. "During that phone call, some information was provided about Tyler potentially having some suicidal ideation, [and] was en route to a remote part of Washington County. The parents convinced him not to do that and conveyed that they would stand by him and help him surrender peacefully."

Robinson asked for a "peaceful, gentle" surrender, a condition to which the sheriff agreed in order to get him to turn himself in. He was described as "quiet and somber" upon apprehension. 

Brooksby's office did not question Robinson while he waited for the lead investigators to arrive. 

Speaking about Robinson's family and roommate, the sheriff said "they need to lay low for a long time," but did not elaborate further. 

According to Brooksby, there is a Washington County Sheriff's deputy with the last name Robinson who is not related to the shooter, as was initially rumored. He asked the media to make that point clear, as the unrelated Robinson continues to be harassed. 

Robinson's lover, who is transgender, lived in a townhouse with him for about a year, according to a relative who spoke to Fox News Digital. 

"He hates conservatives and Christians," the relative said. "He hated us. He was not raised that way, but he, over the years, has become really detached [and] been radicalized."

"He has obviously gotten progressively worse the last year or two," the relative said, adding that he's "always very angry."

Kirk, a conservative titan who traveled the country fostering debate and open dialogue with university students, was pronounced dead a short while later. 

Fox News' Adam Sabes contributed to this report.