Red paint splattered on Charlie Kirk statue outside TPUSA headquarters

By Sandra Rhodes (/journals/sandra-rhodes)

A statue of murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized days after the one-year anniversary of his death.

The Phoenix Police Department made the announcement Sunday. The statue located outside of Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.

Police told NewsNation they received calls about vandalism in the area of 4900 E Beverly Road at around 8:09 a.m. The incident is under investigation.

Phoenix police said anyone with information about the incident should call the department.

TPUSA, co-founded by Kirk in 2012, posted photos on social media of the vandalized statue, which splattered with red paint. The organization said it will restore the statue.

“But vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical,” the organization wrote on social media. “The incident happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps. Beyond spray painting on the neck and face, they made the intentional decision to cross out the name of Jesus on a nearby sign.” (Turning Point USA/Screenshot X) Kirk was killed one year ago Thursday at Utah Valley University (UVU), the first stop of his “American Comeback Tour,” where students were invited to challenge his views.

Kirk was in the middle of debating student Hunter Kozak when he was assassinated.

Tyler Robinson was arrested and charged with aggravated murder, along with six other counts. Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted.

Kozak told The Salt Lake Tribune he been harassed online as some people claimed he was in on the shooting or that his reaction to the shot showed that he knew it was coming. He denied these claims and said he cooperated with the FBI during its investigation.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) called Thursday “Charlie Kirk Day.” TPUSA held a memorial at UVU on Thursday.