No, the shooter wasn't a TRA or Antifa. The evidence emerging strongly suggests he was to the right of Charlie Kirk and influenced by online far right subcultures.
This is just like the TV show Adolescence, when the adults didn't understand the young people's culture and so misinterpreted what they were saying to each other online. In real life now, adults have misunderstood the references here and jumped to the conclusions they expected (or even wanted) to see.
There are 4 things reported as being written on the casings:
- Hey Fascist! Catch!" accompanied by downward arrows (↓↓←)
This isn't an Antifa slogan but instead a direct reference to Helldivers 2, a 2024 cooperative shooter game where players control elite soldiers fighting alien threats in a satirical, over-the-top fascist "Super Earth" regime. The arrows represent the controller input sequence (down, down, left) to call in a 500kg orbital bomb stratagem, a powerful airstrike used in the game to obliterate enemies. This game is popular with white supremacists (and others). Tyler Robinson was active on Discord servers focused on gaming (including Helldivers 2) and meme culture.
Helldivers 2's subreddit was temporarily locked following the incident due to heated debates and doxxing attempts. Some analysts link this to "Groyper" culture, a far-right, meme-heavy movement led by Nick Fuentes, who has publicly feuded with Kirk for being insufficiently extreme (e.g., the 2019 "Groyper Wars" where Groypers trolled Kirk's events).
2. notices bulge OWO what's this?"
Far-right online spaces (e.g., incel or alt-right forums) commonly use memes like this to demean their targets.
It's almost certainly taking the piss out of LGBT people, not supporting them. It's a crude, sexualized meme that started in furry and anime online communities, often used to mock or sexualize others in a infantilizing way. But these days, it's often used in trolling contexts on platforms like 4chan or Discord to harass LGBT people, furries, or perceived "degenerates," with homophobic and transphobic undertones.
3. If you read this, you are gay LMAO
No TRA is going to write this! It's a straightforward homophobic taunt, common in anonymous online trolling. Kirk's vocal opposition to "grooming" narratives and LGBT visibility (e.g., his Turning Point USA events) means this could be a targeted jab, although it could simply be brainless trolling. What it's not, is something an LGBT supporting TRA or Antifa would say.
4. Bella Ciao
On the surface this may sound overtly anti-fascist element (as it's an anti fascist song) but in context, it can also be linked to Groyper memes mocking "fake conservatives" like Kirk, or Helldivers 2 fan content where the song is remixed for in-game propaganda. It's definitely not exclusively left-wing in modern meme usage.
There are no credible links between Tyler Robinson and the left. It's misinterpretation jumped on and whipped up by people who really want an excuse to have a go at the left.