Cop reveals Tyler Robinson came back to recover Mauser 98 rifle from crime scene but was encountered by police

Tyler Robinson, who allegedly shot dead MAGA firebrand Charlie Kirk, had abandoned his grandfather's bolt-action rifle in a wooded area after committing the crime. Now, police sources revealed that he had come back to retrieve the Mauser 98 rifle but was forced to back out after he encountered law enforcement officers.

ALSO READ: FACT CHECK: Truth about Charlie Kirk's wife Erika née Frantzve working for Trump's beauty pageant

Utah Department of Public Safety commissioner Beau Mason told Fox News that Tyler Robinson came back to the Utah Valley University campus for the abandoned gun.

"We have been able to confirm very recently that he did return to that campus and did make contact with an officer," he said.

ALSO READ: 'Serious daddy issues': Expert says Tyler Robinson wasn't afraid of killing Charlie Kirk, but what scared him was his father's reaction

Mason revealed that Tyler encountered the officer who was guarding the perimeter later in the evening on September 10, when the university campus was under lockdown.

"We know he visited a restaurant eatery, or he made a purchase for food, just kind of a normal interaction," the commissioner said.

ALSO READ: Tyler Robinson's texts to Lance Twiggs, mystery plane and more: Chilling theories by online sleuths get FBI attention

Conservative activist Candace Owens had earlier claimed that Tyler went to buy an ice cream at Dairy Queen after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Saying she had an "exclusive" information for her podcast viewers, Owens shared the image of Tyler Robinson at a Dairy Queen outlet in Orem, 17 minutes from the Utah Valley University where the shooting took place.

The viral photo showed Tyler in a maroon t-shirt and cap and it was captured at 6.38 pm, according to Owens. Tyler reportedly came to the Utah valley campus around 8.30 am and Kirk was shot at 12.23 pm.

An old bodycam footage of Tyler Robinson from 2022 also went viral recently. It showed him talking to an officer following a collision accident. Tyler, then 19, was with his younger brother as he is seen explaining to the officer how his Audi hit another car at an intersection.