On Friday, Utah Gov.
Spencer Cox, a Republican, announced authorities have a suspect in custody for the murder of far-right activist Charlie Kirk.
But, as NPR domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro explain, political violence in America rarely follows left-right politics.
Instead, the data show an increase in political violence committed by people who have been influenced by a mix of different extremist ideologies.
There have also been instances where people are committing violence just for the sake of violence.
Utah Governor. Republican Spencer Cox declared that a suspect in the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk is currently being held by the police. Tyler Robinson, 22, was named by Cox as the alleged shooter who shot Kirk on Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University.
Robinson had “become more political in recent years,” according to a family friend who told investigators that he had recently shown distaste for Charlie Kirk, according to Cox. In addition, there are still many unanswered questions.
However, in the long hours before his capture, conjecture about the identity and motives of the murderer filled the void. Shortly after the shooting, President Trump accused the “radical left” of being responsible. However, political violence rarely follows left-right politics in America, as senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro and NPR domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef explain.
Rather, the data indicate that individuals who have been influenced by a variety of extremist ideologies have increased their use of political violence. Additionally, there have been cases where people have used violence purely for its own sake.
Even so, these violent incidents have often resulted in people imposing their own political views on the situation during a period of increased partisanship, division, and hate in the nation.
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