Sharp reactions have been sparked by the presentation of ABC News reporter Matt Gutman, who commented in a highly charged way on the messages exchanged by the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, with his transgender partner, which were revealed on Tuesday.

Gutman, broadcasting from a press conference held in Utah, described the shooter’s messages as “highly personal” and “very moving.”

“It was also very touching in a way that many of us weren’t expecting,” he said, referring to the messages sent hours after Charlie Kirk was killed on Sept. 10.

“A very personal portrait of this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with the suspect constantly calling his roommate, who is in the process of transitioning, ‘my love’ and ‘I want to protect you, my love,'” the reporter added, visibly moved.

“So it was this duality of a man who, as the prosecutor said, not only endangered the lives of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but did it in front of children, which is an aggravating circumstance in this case,” he went on to note.

“And on the other hand, he spoke so fondly of his partner. A very interesting, riveting press conference,” Gutman concluded, in comments that caused a sensation.

In the ABC webcast that followed, the journalist stuck to the same line, reiterating that the messages were “so rich, so intense, so seemingly incriminating and yet so moving, weren’t they?”

“And the terminology he used seemed to indicate he was trying to protect him. He kept calling him ‘my love’. ‘ The reason I’m doing this is to protect you,’ but at the same time he was asking him to delete the messages and not talk to the police. So we see this dangerous duality unfold in such a tragic way,” he added.

Guttman’s statements caused a storm online, with thousands of users criticizing him for his tone and wording. Many more users openly called for Gutman to be removed from the ABC, with posts garnering thousands of likes.