WSJ, Crowder: Kirk Assassin Engraved Trans and Antifa Messages on Cartridges; CNN: ‘Cultural Phrases’

The deuce you say. Behold my shocked face. 

Steven Crowder actually got the scoop on this development from the investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk. According to his sources, corroborated later by other media outlets, the FBI discovered political messages etched onto the ammunition cartridges in the rifle used in the murder. Those political messages promoted transgenderism and Antifa, according to Steven’s source:

EXCLUSIVE: This morning my team received an e-mail from officer at ATF.

The email included a screen shot from what appears to be an internal message describing a weapon and cartridges located by an ATF and other law enforcement near the scene of the Charlie Kirk shooting at… pic.twitter.com/UKtOUPY5DC

— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) September 11, 2025

ATF and other law-enforcement located an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the campus. The location of the firearm appears to match the suspects route of travel. The spent cartridge was still chambered in addition to three unspent rounds at the top fed magazine. All cartridges have engraved wording on them, expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology. An emergency trace has been submitted an ATF SLC is working leads generated by the trace. The firearm and ammunition have been taken by the FBI for DNA analysis and fingerprint impressions. 

One has to wonder why the perp took the rifle and discarded it while fleeing. The ammunition etchings would presumably have been intended as a political manifesto after the assassination. Why bother etching the cartridges if no one else would find the message?

Not long after, the Wall Street Journal confirmed the information as genuine:

Investigators found ammunition engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology inside the rifle that authorities believe was used in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, according to an internal law enforcement bulletin and a person familiar with the investigation.

CNN then confirmed it as well … sort of. Rather than report on what the etchings actually said, CNN decided to dumb it down to a reference to “cultural phrases” in both the headline and the lead:

The shooter etched pro-transgender and anti-fascist messages into the bullet casings

And THIS is how CNN frames it pic.twitter.com/PP5Tti7JD7

— John Hasson (@SonofHas) September 11, 2025

Cultural. Messages. Are we kidding with this? Imagine if the roles were reversed and someone had etched “MAGA” into ammunition used to assassinate a progressive. Would CNN report that as a “cultural message,” or would they go full tilt into blaming every Republican and demanding that Trump supporters be treated as domestic terrorists?

Oh, let’s not always see the same hands…

The investigators held a press conference this morning, which I watched in its entirety. They certainly know more than they did yesterday, although law enforcement and prosecutors are still playing their cards close to the vest. They discussed the high-power rifle recovered in the woods, along with a footprint impression left behind that they hope will provide some corroboration once the suspect has been identified and arrested. The most promising development centers on video of the shooter, and even more identifiable evidence:

Authorities have footage of the suspected gunman and are using technology to try to identify him, Mason said, adding that the video will not be made public yet.

“We are confident in our abilities right now, and we would like to move forward in a manner that keeps everyone safe and then moves this process appropriately,” Mason explained when asked why the video was not being released. …

A “footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints” were also collected from the scene and have been sent to a forensics lab for analysis, Bohls said.

The palm print would all but convict the perp, once he’s caught, and given the attitude of the investigators at the presser, they seem to believe they will get him soon. The video is clear enough for an identification, it seems, if and when they can connect the evidence to the perpetrator. They are still asking for cooperation from witnesses and tipsters, which means there are dots that still need connecting. 

We’ll have more as the story develops, of course. CNN won’t, though, if these reports on the ammunition are accurate. “Cultural messages” is one step away from “local story.” 

UPDATE: The FBI office in Salt Lake City has released a photo of a “person of interest.” It appears the shirt may have been part of the attempt to blend into the crowd:

We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. 1-800-CALL-FBI Digital media tips: https://tips.fbi.gov/digitalmedia/f4507712a3b2893

— FBI Salt Lake City (@FBISaltLakeCity) Sep 10, 2025

If you have any information about this person of interest, click the link. Just remember that this may not be the suspect, at least as far as we know. 

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