Alleged Charlie Kirk Shooter Engraved Helldivers 2 Command and Furry Memes on Bullet Casings
A 22-year-old suspect accused of killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University left several engraved messages on bullet casings recovered at the scene, and investigators say one of those engravings used the input sequence associated with the video game Helldivers 2, officials said. The Associated Press reported on the shooting and the evidence found at a press briefing.
- The Helldivers 2 reference
- Other engraved messages
- Community and moderation response
- What Helldivers 2 is
Investigation findings
Utah officials said investigators recovered multiple shell casings from the scene, and some had messages engraved on them. Governor Spencer Cox described the discovery at a press conference, noting that messages were found on both spent and unfired casings.
Local and federal authorities are handling the investigation, and the Associated Press has covered the events and evidence released by officials. For the AP’s coverage, see this report.
The Helldivers 2 reference
One unfired shell reportedly bore the inscription: “Hey, fascist! Catch! ↑ → ↓↓↓”. Investigators and officials pointed out that the arrow symbols match the input used to call a destructive in-game stratagem in Helldivers 2.
That stratagem, called the Eagle 500kg Bomb, lets players drop a large explosive device in-game. For details on the in-game move, consult the Helldivers 2 wiki entry on the Eagle 500kg Bomb.
Other engraved messages
Officials said investigators found other messages on casings recovered at the scene. Examples reported by officials include:
- “Notices bulge / OWO what’s this?” — a phrase linked to online furry-roleplay memes; see the Know Your Meme entry.
- “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao” — words from the song Bella ciao, an Italian anti-fascist song; background at Wikipedia.
- “If you read this, you are gay lmao” — described by officials as a crude internet-style joke.
Community and moderation response
Players and moderators in Helldivers communities reacted after news of the engraving spread. The game’s official Discord and the main subreddit saw a surge of posts and messages condemning real-world violence and distancing the game and its players from the incident.
The r/Helldivers subreddit posted a moderation message that read exactly: “Due to recent events and the high amount of posts about the topic, we will be locking the subreddit temporarily,” and continued, “We’re aware of what happened, our modteam doesn’t condone it. In any case, posts and discussions about it are against this sub’s rules regarding real-world political discussions.” The subreddit post is visible at r/Helldivers.
What Helldivers 2 is
Helldivers 2 is a cooperative, sci-fi third-person shooter released for PlayStation 5 and Windows PC in February 2024, with an Xbox Series X version released in August. The game positions players as soldiers of “Super Earth” and uses satirical framing that references militarism and forced democracy.
In public discussion, some commentators have pointed to video games when discussing causes of gun violence. For example, recent remarks by a public figure on the topic were reported by PBS; see their coverage at this PBS piece.
Requests for comment
News outlets have contacted developer Arrowhead Game Studios for comment about the engraving references and community reaction. Officials continue to investigate the shooting and related evidence.
