Claims that a bullet test cleared the Charlie Kirk suspect are misleading
Experts say the ‘inconclusive’ result is common and does not rule out that the rifle linked to the suspect was used
New court filings in Utah’s case against Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s murder, gave way to widespread claims that a bullet analysis exonerates him.
Robinson’s lawyers wrote in a March 27 court filing that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was “unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson.”
Related Knowledge Center: Fact-checking and its detractors
Fact-checking has become a familiar tool for political reporters to hold office-holders and candidates accountable. But critics ask if fact-checkers sometimes miss the forest for the trees, and if the practice often struggles with false equivalency the way conventional political coverage does.