Messages found on suspect Tyler Robinson's bullet casings: What they said

Bullet casings left behind by Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk, had messages engraved on them, Utah's governor said Friday. 

Authorities announced Robinson’s arrest at a news conference Friday morning, less than 48 hours after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at an event on campus. 

What did the messages say? 

What we know:

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said investigators found a bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the school. The rifle had a scope mounted on top. Messages on a fired bullet casing said, "Notices, bulges, OwO what's this?"

RELATED: Charlie Kirk shooting suspect identified as Tyler Robinson

Inscriptions were also found on three unfired casings. The first one read, "Hey fascist! Catch!" with an up arrow, a right arrow and three down arrows. The second one said, "Oh Bella, ciao, bella, ciao Bella ciao ciao ciao." The third one read, "If you read this, you are gay LMAO"

What do the messages mean? 

Dig deeper:

"Notices, bulges, OwO what's this?" – This is a Gen Z phrase used in the "furry community." The OwO is meant to mimic a wide-eyed face emoji. 

 "Hey fascist! Catch!" – This appears to be a reference to the Helldivers 2 video game. The arrows are the sequence of controller moves that allows the player to drop bombs. 

"Oh Bella, ciao, bella, ciao Bella ciao ciao ciao." – "Bella Ciao" is an Italian folk song and anti-fascist resistance anthem. AI edits of Trump singing it have been widely shared on social media. 

"If you read this, you are gay LMAO" – Conspiracy videos accusing Trump and his allies of being secretly gay have also been shared on TikTok. 

Who is Tyler Robinson? 

What they're saying:

Robinson is 22 years old and from Utah, Cox said. Authorities said he acted alone. 

On Thursday evening, a family member of Robinson's reached out to a family friend, who contacted law enforcement and reported Robinson had "confessed to them or implied" that he was the shooter. Robinson's roommate also spoke with investigators and showed them messages from Robinson on Discord. Those messages discussed a rifle wrapped in a towel, a unique scope on the rifle and engravings on the bullets.

On "Fox and Friends," Trump said the suspect’s father may have played a role, but authorities at the press conference didn't specify which family member aided in his arrest. 

A family member told investigators Robinson had become more political in recent years, and Robinson had mentioned that Kirk was coming to UVU. The family member said Robinson voiced his dislike of Kirk, saying Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate. The same family member said Robinson drove a gray Dodge Challenger. Investigators say Robinson arrived on campus in a gray Dodge Challenger.

What happened to Charlie Kirk? 

The backstory:

Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist and friend of Trump’s, was speaking to a crowd of about 3,000 people at Utah Valley University Wednesday afternoon when a shooter fired a single shot from a building about 140 yards away. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was on the first stop of his American Comeback tour.

Graphic video shared on social media showed the moment Kirk was struck by the bullet and killed.

Kirk's body was flown back to his home state of Arizona Thursday on Air Force Two. Trump said he believes Kirk's funeral will be held next weekend. The president said he'll attend. 

Investigation timeline

Timeline:

FBI Director Kash Patel said the first FBI agents arrived on the scene at Utah Valley University some 16 minutes after Kirk was shot. 

The bureau released the first photos of the suspect on Thursday morning, followed by the announcement of a cash reward and then the release of video of the suspect climbing down from the roof of a campus building and running away.

"Just last night, the suspect was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time," Patel announced at the press conference Friday.