Investigative officials have uncovered a disturbing array of internet memes and video game references engraved onto bullet casings recovered from the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. These inscriptions, ranging from tactical gaming prompts to viral “furry” tropes, suggest the perpetrator was deeply embedded in “edgelord” online subcultures rather than driven by a singular, traditional political manifesto.
The Helldivers 2 Connection: ‘Hey Fascist! Catch!’
One recovered casing featured the phrase “Hey Fascist! Catch!” accompanied by a specific sequence of directional arrows: up, right, and three down. This string of commands directly references the “Eagle 500kg bomb,” a powerful in-game asset from the 2024 hit title Helldivers 2. Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, the cooperative shooter has gained a massive following for its satirical take on “managed democracy,” where players fight alien threats to spread a regime that researchers describe as functionally fascist.
Harry Batchelor, an independent extremism researcher affiliated with the Extremism and Gaming Research Network, notes that the game’s community generally maintains a positive reputation. However, the use of the 500kg bomb meme—often used online to signal a desire for “comically excessive” destruction—indicates a pivot from digital satire to real-world violence. Arrowhead Game Studios has not yet provided a comment regarding the use of their intellectual property in this context.
From ‘Bella Ciao’ to Furry Subculture
The shooter’s references extended beyond modern shooters into historical and niche internet territory. Another casing bore the lyrics to “Bella Ciao,” an Italian folk song historically linked to anti-fascist partisans. While the song has seen a global resurgence on social media, it also serves as a key collectible in Far Cry 6, where it inspires a fictional guerrilla movement fighting a Caribbean dictator. This overlap highlights a recurring theme of “partisan” or “rebel” iconography within the evidence.
In a jarring shift of tone, investigators also identified the phrase “Notices bulges, OwO what’s this.” This line is a notorious meme within the “furry” community, popularized around 2015 to mock or enact hyper-sexualized roleplay. A separate casing featured the crude insult, “If you read this you are gay LMAO,” which experts characterize as standard “always online” behavior rather than a specific ideological statement.
The Psychology of ‘Irony Posting’ and Violence
Don Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief of Know Your Meme, argues that the decision to engrave these messages was a calculated move to ensure viral longevity. “People understand that memes are powerful tools for capturing attention,” Caldwell stated. By using cryptic references, the shooter guaranteed that internet sleuths and journalists would spend hours deconstructing the meaning behind the casings.
Following the disclosure of these details, moderators of the r/Helldivers subreddit temporarily locked the community to prevent a surge of speculative or glorifying content. The mod team issued a statement clarifying that they “do not condone” the actions and are managing the fallout of the high-profile association.
Contextualizing Gaming Culture in Extremism
While figures like U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have recently pointed toward video games as potential catalysts for school shootings, researchers urge caution in blaming specific titles. Alex Newhouse, a researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder, suggests the issue lies in the utility of gaming language rather than the games themselves.
“It’s not the specific game, but rather the use of gaming references as a vessel for irony,” Newhouse explained. He warns against reading deep political intent into the messages, characterizing them instead as “irony posting” typical of deep-web subcultures. The objective, according to experts, was likely to create a confusing, multi-layered narrative that defies simple categorization while maximizing media engagement.
