Tyler Robinson: What the Bullet Casing Inscriptions Reveal

By Dave Van Zandt

The investigation into Tyler Robinson, who is accused of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, is ongoing. A significant amount of attention has been given to the unusual inscriptions found on his bullet casings. These markings combine political slogans with elements of gaming and meme culture. Additionally, Robinson’s choice of target is linked to the long-standing feud between Charlie Kirk and Nick Fuentes.

Robinson’s background comes from a conservative household; his father and mother are registered Republicans. His target, Charlie Kirk, is the founder of Turning Point USA. While progressives often criticize Kirk, it is the far-right Groypers, led by Nick Fuentes, who have made Kirk a central antagonist. Groypers disrupted Kirk’s campus events beginning in 2019, accusing him of being too “mainstream” and not sufficiently nationalist. A confrontation dubbed the “Groyper War”. The feud has been covered extensively, with Fuentes boasting that Groypers pressured Kirk into harder stances on immigration.

The inscriptions on Robinson’s casings illustrate a hybrid of political and cultural references:

• “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.” This reflects the crude, ironic style of 4chan/troll culture, where insults are designed for shock rather than ideology. However, progressives do not typically use homophobic slurs.

• “notices, bulges, OwO, what’s this?” A reference to the “OwO” emoticon, originally from anime/furry communities and now a meme used in absurd or sexualized internet jokes.

• “Hey fascist! Catch!” + ↑ → ↓↓↓. Although “Hey fascist! Catch!” reads like an anti-fascist slogan, pairing it with the Helldivers 2 bomb-strike code suggests it was meant as a meme reference rather than a serious political statement. Combined with the other trollish inscriptions, it looks less like progressive activism and more like ironic mockery in line with far-right internet culture. A classic Groyper tactic, but is it?

• “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao.” Lyrics from Bella Ciao, a historic anti-fascist anthem. While sincere in leftist movements, its ironic juxtaposition with memes suggests possible trolling rather than genuine identification. It is also featured on the Groyper War playlist on Spotify.

This blend of meme humor, gaming symbols, and ideological references indicates that Robinson was drawing from online cultures where irony and provocation often matter more than coherent messaging.

Question: Do these inscriptions reflect a genuine far-right ideological perspective shaped by the Fuentes/Groyper world, or are they better understood as shock-oriented performances that mix memes, gaming, and politics, or is it simply a way to deflect from a leftist ideology? Only time and new information will tell the complete story.

Correction: Matt Robinson was incorrectly listed as a retired sheriff. New information indicates he is not connected to law enforcement.