Following the capture of the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect, Utah Governor Spencer Cox spoke to reporters, including about messages investigators claim were found on a fired bullet casing and three unfired casings. “We got him,” Cox said Friday morning.
“On the evening of September 11th, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them, or implied that he had committed the incident.”
Later, Cox spoke of the casings, alleging that one unfired casing had been engraved with “Hey fascist, catch” and that another had been engraved with “If you read this you are gay LMAO.”
Inscribed on the fired casing, allegedly, was “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” Another alleged unfired casing inscription, meanwhile, was said by Cox to read “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao.”
Worth noting here amid such reports is that criticism has persisted over the messaging many have been quick to run with in the wake of the deadly Kirk shooting. Trump himself, in the same Fox News appearance during which he announced the suspect’s capture on Friday, predictably attempted to point the finger at what he described as “the radicals on the left” when asked how to “fix” the country, prompting immediate pushback.
Robinson, to be clear, is reported to have been registered to vote in Utah, albeit without a specific party declaration. Per the Wall Street Journal, his two parents are registered Republicans. In light of the latest details on the suspect, particularly the alleged casing engravings, some on social media have speculated about so-called “Groypers,” a faction of far-right conservatives associated with Nick Fuentes.
Kirk, co-founder of the conservative Turning Point USA organization, was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 when he was fatally shot in the neck. Elected officials from both sides of the aisle have spoken out in the days since, including progressive voices like former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Political violence has no place in this country,” Sanders said earlier this week. “We must condemn this horrifying attack.”
At Friday’s presser, Cox, joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and others, said that Robinson had been seen in video arriving at the university in a gray Dodge challenger on the day of the shooting. Cox said investigators spoke with a family member, as well as a roommate. During interviews with the latter, officials said they were shown messages from Robinson shared to Discord.
“This is a very sad day, again, for our country,” Cox said, adding this also marks “a terrible day for the state of Utah.”