What was written on Charlie Kirk bullet casings?

(NewsNation) — Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin has been identified as Tyler Robinson, who authorities say confessed to shooting and killing the Turning Point USA co-founder during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Authorities identified Robinson as the suspect in a news conference in Utah on Friday, stating he allegedly wrote messages on the bullet casings. Authorities said the inscriptions on the bullet casings read:

• “Notices Buldge OWO what’s this?”
• “hey fascist! CATCH!" followed by a series of arrows
• “If you read This, you are GAY Lmao"
• The words “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!" a lyric from an antifascist World War II song

Robinson, 22, was not a student at Utah Valley University. His family turned him in to law enforcement and he is now in custody.

Tyler Robinson. (Courtesy Office of Governor Cox)

"The motivation is also very clear, as the scribing on the bullet casings and the suspect's own rants made it known that he models himself as an anti-fascist, similarly to or actually a part of the terrorist group #ANTIFA," former Navy SEAL and FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam told NewsNation.

What was the gun used in the Charlie Kirk shooting?

The gun used in the shooting was a a Mauser Model 98, .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle, according to an affidavit from the Utah County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said the gun was unique and had a scope.

The 30-06 is a powerful rifle popular for hunting big game, such as elk and moose.

"The rifle is a high-power hunting rifle with an effective range of approximately 500 yards,” Shannon Sommerville, a police officer, told NewsNation.

Sommerville said the gun could be purchased at any sporting good store.

Robinson's roommate showed investigators messages on the social media site Discord about leaving the rifle at a drop point in a bush, as well as the engravings on the bullets, authorities said Friday.

Parallels between Charlie Kirk assassination and attempts on Trump's life

Gilliam drew comparisons between Kirk's assassination and the two attempts on President Donald Trump's life last year.

"As we saw, sharing the pictures led to thousands of tips, and ultimately, it was the shooter's roommate that alerted authorities about concerning texts about retrieving a gun at a drop zone, as well as hatred for Charlie Kirk," he said. "This is typical for investigations where a break in the case comes from friends or family, leading investigators towards an arrest."

Gilliam said several questions still remain, including how well trained the shooter was, how he got on the roof of the university building and whether Kirk's security and local law enforcement did a proper threat assessment before the event.

"Overall, this was another example of poor threat assessment, terrible security and a leftist that utilized it to his advantage," Gilliam said. "Same mistakes as both President Trump's recent assassination attempts.”