As the man accused of assassinating conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was held at the Utah County Jail on Friday, authorities said he engraved messages on bullet casings that included anti-fascist viewpoints and apparent references to taunting Internet memes.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed the arrest of Tyler Robinson, 22, at a press conference on Friday. Court papers said he was detained on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice charges. Formal charges are expected soon.
The rifle used in the shooting was a Mauser 98 .30-06 with a scope, Cox said. The rifle has a bolt-action, meaning the user has to operate the rifle’s bolt by turning it and pulling it back.
What the Messages Say
Bullet casings discovered by investigators had several inscriptions engraved on them, Cox said. The casing from the shot fired at Kirk read: “notices bulges OwO what’s this?”
That message appears to refer to Internet memes and slang that emerged several years ago, specifically to a graphic sexual meme relating to the “furries” subculture. The “OwO” is an emoticon often used by video game streamers on the Twitch platform.
Three other rounds were recovered by authorities, Cox said, with two displaying anti-fascist slogans.
Cox did not provide more information about the messages, such as punctuation, capitalization, spelling, or other details.
Other messages included references to anti-fascist ideology. One read, “Hey fascist! Catch!” that was followed by an up arrow symbol, a right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols, Cox said.
“I think that [fascist] speaks for itself,” Cox told reporters.
The arrows—up, right, down down down—could refer to a code used in the “Helldivers 2” video game, which has turned into a meme and is often used in the streaming community.
“Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao” was written on another bullet, Cox said. That line appears to allude to an Italian anti-fascist song that was popularized during World War II. “Bella ciao” has been used as a slogan or rallying cry by some left-wing individuals in recent years.
The other said, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.” LMAO is an online acronym for a crude expression of amusement.
In recent years, several mass shooters and murder suspects have engraved messages on bullets or weapons.
In the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year, alleged suspect Luigi Mangione had written the messages “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” on bullets recovered in the case. The words refer to alleged tactics used by health insurance companies.
The suspect accused in a mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis last month had written phrases on weapons that included references to terrorist attacks and expressed support for killing President Donald Trump.
Initial Charges Filed
According to court records, Robinson was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. All are state felony charges and aggravated murder carries the possibility of the death penalty.
Formal charges are expected early next week. No federal charges have been filed against Robinson yet.
State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving Robinson.
No motive has been ascribed to Robinson yet, and it appears that he acted alone, Cox said.
Discord Messages Revealed
Cox said on Friday that the suspect allegedly communicated about a rifle and bullets being hidden on the chat app Discord, which allows people to communicate in virtual communities or in private.
A roommate of Robinson’s mentioned a joke that he allegedly made on that app, the governor said.
“Investigators asked if [the roommate] would show them the messages on Discord,” Cox said at the news event. “He showed several messages to investigators and allowed investigators to take photos of the screen … these photos consisted of various messages, including content of messages between the phone contact named Tyler with an emoji icon, and Robinson’s roommate’s device.
“The content … included messages affiliated with the contact Tyler stating a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush. Messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel.”
Suspect Had Become ‘More Political’
While not many specifics were publicly provided by Cox, he mentioned that Robinson had become “more political in recent years.”
The governor said that Robinson, during a dinner conversation with a family member, had mentioned that Kirk would be heading to Utah Valley University. Also, Robinson discussed why he did not like Kirk, and claimed the conservative activist “was spreading hate,” Cox said. “They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had.”
The governor did not provide additional details on the suspect’s political beliefs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
