Expert thoroughly explains why fatal bullets didn’t match alleged Charlie Kirk killer’s gun

After the news that the bullets which killed Charlie Kirk didn’t match Tyler Robinson’s gun, an expert has weighed in on what that actually means.

Last summer, political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in the middle of a debate. The suspect accused of this killing is Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident. Ahead of the preliminary hearing in April, Tyler’s lawyers are claiming that the bullets found at the scene don’t match the rifle Tyler was found with. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did the analysis.

🚨 BREAKING: Bullet used to kill Charlie Kirk did NOT match rifle allegedly used by suspect Tyler Robinson, new court filing claims -Daily Mail

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 31, 2026

Ballistics expert Steven Howard, who specialises in analysing firearms, has spoken to the Daily Mail about what this means for the case, after viral tweets claiming it proves Tyler’s innocence.

“It’s pretty common with rifles, not so much with handguns, but it also happens with them,” Steven said.

“Rifles have so much velocity and therefore so much energy, that the bullets a lot of times damage themselves to the point that you can’t realistically match them up because they’re so damaged.”

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He added: “The ballistics comparison is just one part. If it (the bullet) can’t be completely eliminated, as in no way in hell it came out of this gun, then it’s still evidence that leans towards guilt.”

via Utah Department of Safety

Tyler Robinson’s defence team is planning to use the inconclusive analysis of the rifle and bullets to prove his innocence, while the prosecution is aiming to use other pieces of evidence to prove Tyler’s guilt.

Ballistic expert Steven says that the bullets and rifle not matching doesn’t show the whole story of what could’ve happened.

“The barrel has rifling, the purpose of which is like if you threw a football, the way you get distance with accuracy is it has to have that spiral, it provides almost like a gyroscope momentum, and you get more versus just letting it wobble into space.”

He concluded: “All those mechanical processes make marks on the shell casing on the projectile, and all of those marks are unique to each different firearm. And how they’re unique is that not every firearm was made precisely, exactly the same.”

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