Authorities Say Charlie Kirk S Alleged Assassin Left Behind Bullet

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 2:34 AM

authorities say charlie kirk s alleged assassin left behind bullet

Nick Lichtenberg is business editor and was formerly Fortune's executive editor of global news. Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, during an event at Utah Valley University. Authorities apprehended Tyler Robinson, age 22, in connection with the shooting after a 33-hour manhunt involving tips from Robinson’s family and subsequent coordination with law enforcement. The weapon recovered—a .30-06 caliber Mauser bolt-action rifle—was discovered wrapped in a towel in the wooded area near the campus and sent for FBI forensic analysis. Governor Spencer Cox and the FBI confirmed during their official briefings that bullet casings at the scene showed engraved anti-fascist slogans, such as “Hey fascist! Catch!” accompanied by arrow symbols, and and phrases lifted from historical antifascist movements.

The phrase “Bella Ciao,” an anthem of resistance from WWII Italy and a staple of contemporary antifascist rallies, was found inscribed on multiple occasions. “I will leave that up to you to interpret what those engravings mean,” Cox told reporters, adding that the “Hey fascist, catch!” inscription “speaks for itself.” News of the inscriptions were first shared on X on Thursday morning by political commentator Steven Crowder, citing a preliminary bulletin attributed to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Fox News Digital reported that multiple sources confirmed the veracity of the bulletin, but stressed that the information was preliminary. Other casings were marked with distinctly Gen Z online language: one casing read “Notices bulges OwO’s this?”—a phrase associated with the furry and gaming communities as well as meme subculture from 2018 onward. “OwO” is a popular emoticon denoting cuteness or surprise and is frequently deployed in digital roleplay spaces.

People gather at a makeshift memorial for political activist and Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk outside of the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sept. 14. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images hide caption Prosecutors in Utah appear to be preparing to argue that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last week because he disagreed with Kirk's anti-trans rhetoric. In their charging document, authorities cite text messages that Robinson allegedly exchanged with "his lover/roommate," a person they describe as "a biological male who was transitioning genders." The document also includes another text in... The presumed motive has added fire to a rash of speculation by high-reach conservatives, who have suggested that this motive equated to a political ideology.

The same day Kirk was killed, President Trump claimed the shooter was a "radical leftist." Others have suggested that the suspect may have been "groomed" by a "trans terror cell" and that he was... In fact, little is still known about Robinson's politics. According to the charging document, his mother told investigators that he had become more "pro-gay and trans-rights oriented" within the last year. It also includes a text message, allegedly written by Robinson, that said "since trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard maga." But Robinson is not registered with a political party in... There is no evidence of his positions on other issues of importance to the left, such as immigration or labor. Alleged assassin Tyler Robinson called the gun he used to kill Charlie Kirk “grandpa’s rifle” and obsessed over leaving it at the scene in messages to his transgender boyfriend, authorities revealed Tuesday.

Robinson, 22, fired off a slew of texts to beau Lance Twiggs, also 22, fewer than three hours after allegedly killing the conservative icon, panicking about not being able to explain it to his... “I’m worried what my old man would do if I don’t bring back grandpa’s rifle,” Robinson wrote to Twiggs at 2:55 p.m. on Sept. 10 — after having fatally shot Kirk, 31, during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University shortly before 12:30 p.m., Gray said. “IDK if it has a serial number but it wouldn’t trace to me,” Robinson allegedly wrote. “I’m worried about prints, I had to leave it in a bush where i changed outfits, didn’t have the ability or time to take it with.’

“How the F will I explain losing it to my old man,” Robinson wrote, according to Gray. Officials released new video of the person of interest on Thursday night. A suspect has been arrested in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials announced Friday. Tyler Robinson, a Utah native, was identified as the person who shot and killed Kirk on Wednesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference in Utah on Friday. "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him," Cox said at a press conference Friday.

Robinson, 22, has been booked into the Utah County Jail. Charging documents against Robinson are expected to be filed early next week, Cox said. Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, was deliberate in the messages he left behind after he allegedly fired the fatal shot at Utah Valley University earlier this week,... The 22-year-old carefully inscribed bullet casings with references to obscure online subcultures and left them at the scene, they said. When piecing together what else they knew about Robinson to make sense of his alleged crime, investigators said he had recently expressed his open dislike of Kirk, that he spent lots of time online,... But days after the shooting, authorities have yet to determine a coherent motive for the killing of Kirk—the founder of Turning Point USA and a popular figure on the American right—and experts on extremism...

Read more: The Killing of Charlie Kirk and the Political Violence Haunting America Robinson's alleged decision to leave messages to be interpreted in his wake is common for perpetrators of political violence. What makes this case unique, however, is how obscure the messages were; they contain references to memes and in-jokes that could only be understood by a niche community of online gamers. Flags fly at half-staff outside the Utah County Security Center, which includes the Utah County Jail, Sept. 12, 2025, in Spanish Fork, Utah. (AP)

As soon as officials announced the name of the alleged assassin of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, internet theories about the suspect’s background and motives quickly outpaced confirmed facts. Authorities said Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, shot and killed Kirk Sept. 10 on the Utah Valley University campus. Kirk was close to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Officials took Robinson into custody in the evening of Sept. 11.

Announcing the arrest Sept. 12, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared four phrases etched on bullet casings found with a gun investigators believe was Robinson’s. When the news became public, Americans began searching for information on Robinson and sharing theories about him and his family. Much of that information, especially in the early hours after the news broke, was inaccurate. Some online users chased wrong leads and implicated innocent people in the process.

• First hearing: Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk, appeared virtually for his first court hearing since he was formally charged on seven counts today. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty. • Text messages revealed: Charging documents show the suspect confessed in a series of messages sent to his roommate after the attack. Robinson’s mother said he had become more political and leaned left, “becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.” Robinson “began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders,” his mother said, according... • Congressional hearing: FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the probe into Kirk’s murder. He told lawmakers that the FBI is interviewing more than 20 people who participated in an online chat with Robinson.

Our live coverage has ended. You can read more about the charges against the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing here and more about FBI Director Kash Patel’s Senate hearing here. While Tyler Robinson, the suspect charged in Charlie Kirk’s murder, was not physically in court for his first appearance today, two women who survived the shooting on Utah Valley University’s campus were there to... Updated on: September 17, 2025 / 12:24 AM EDT / CBS News Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, on Tuesday was granted a pretrial protective order against the suspect in his murder, Tyler Robinson, that prohibits him from contacting or harassing her. "The defendant represents a credible threat to the physical safety of the protected person," according to the filing granted by Judge Tony Graf.

Furthermore, Jeffrey Neiman, a Miami-based attorney, filed a request on behalf of Erika Kirk that she be designated a representative of her late husband in the case. "It is requested that Erika Kirk, the widow of Charles James Kirk, be designated the representative of the victim in this case to exercise all the rights afforded the victim pursuant to Utah Code…,"... On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was assassinated while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, United States. The outdoor event was the first stop of the Fall 2025 season for the American Comeback Tour, a speaking and debate series planned by Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization that he co-founded. Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while engaging with an audience member about mass shootings in the United States by a sniper on the roof of a building approximately 142 yards (130 m)... The next day, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson surrendered himself to the local sheriff.

Prosecutors charged Robinson with murder on September 16 and announced they would seek the death penalty, alleging the attack was politically motivated.[2][3][4] The assassination was highlighted as an instance of increasing political violence within the United States and was condemned by national and foreign leaders. Video footage of the shooting spread rapidly on social media, and reactions ranged from heartfelt messages expressing anguish about the political climate to sharply partisan comments and celebrations of his death.[5][6][7] President Donald Trump,... The Trump administration called for a crackdown against what it called "political extremism" on the left,[10][11][12][13] which was widely criticized by free speech advocates and legal experts as using the assassination as a pretext... Charlie Kirk was an American right-wing political activist, author, and media personality, known for co-founding and serving as CEO of Turning Point USA.[17][18] A close ally of US president Donald Trump, Kirk utilized his...

Authorities Say Charlie Kirk S Alleged Assassin Left Behind Bullet

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