Utah officials said Friday that messages etched on shell casings recovered at the scene of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk reflect internet meme culture and online trolling, and do not reference transgender ideology as an earlier report suggested.
Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, told reporters that investigators recovered four rounds with inscriptions after the Sept. 12 shooting at Utah Valley University. He said one fired casing, from the bullet that struck and killed Kirk, read, "Notices bulges. OwO, what's this?" Three unfired rounds bore other inscriptions: "Hey fascist, catch!" accompanied by arrows, "If you read this you are gay, lmao," and the Italian phrase "Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao." Authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the prime suspect, Cox said.
The Wall Street Journal had reported earlier that the casings were "engraved with transgender and antifascist ideology," citing an "early bulletin" shared among law enforcement. Cox and other officials said the specific phrases on the casings do not reference transgender people and that the characterization in the Journal report was incorrect. It was not immediately clear how the earlier bulletin reached its conclusions.
Analysts and internet culture researchers described the inscriptions as rooted in online "shitposting" and gaming references rather than coherent political messaging. The phrase inscribed on the fired casing — which references noticing a "bulge" and uses the emoticon "OwO" — is widely recognized in meme communities and is associated with a parody of furry fandom that circulated online beginning around 2015, according to Know Your Meme and other digital culture trackers. Officials said the intent of that message is unclear.
The inscription "Hey fascist, catch!" accompanied by up, right and down arrows was linked by gamers and commentators to a button sequence used in the video game Helldivers 2 to call in an airdropped bomb. Reporting on the games notes that Helldivers 2 has a satirical framing in which players perform actions on behalf of a fictional, authoritarian regime; the gaming context complicates any straightforward political interpretation of the inscription. The "bella ciao" phrase has historical associations as an anti-fascist song, but a 2023 investigation by George Mason University found much of the song's modern connection to World War II resistance is apocryphal and evolved over time.
Advocacy groups reacted strongly to the discrepancy between the casings' messages and the Journal's earlier characterization. The Human Rights Campaign called on the Wall Street Journal to retract its story, accusing the outlet of circulating "rumors with incomplete and untrue details" and of contributing to inflammatory public reaction. "Rage is what makes this country a tinder box," HRC press secretary Brandon Wolf said in a statement, urging greater care from outlets and platforms in reporting sensitive developments.
Investigators have emphasized that inscriptions on ammunition do not, on their own, establish motive. Law enforcement officials continue to examine digital evidence, the suspect's background and other physical evidence to determine whether the messages reflect deliberate political intent, random trolling, or other motivations. Officials gave no definitive public assessment Friday tying the inscriptions to a coherent ideology or to organized groups.
Kirk, a conservative commentator and founder of the nonprofit Turning Point USA, was shot during an on-campus event. The shooting drew immediate national attention because of his prominence in conservative media and the politically charged atmosphere surrounding targeted attacks on public figures. Authorities have urged patience as they complete forensic analysis and pursue investigative leads.
Media organizations and civil society groups said the episode underlined the challenges of fast-moving reporting in the aftermath of high-profile violent incidents, including how preliminary law enforcement bulletins and online speculation can shape public narratives before evidence is fully evaluated. Officials said more information would be released as the investigation proceeds and as legal processes allow.