A statue of Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was vandalized with red paint shortly after its installation outside the group's Phoenix headquarters. The 8-foot-tall statue, unveiled last Thursday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Kirk's death, depicts him tossing baseball caps.
Images shared by Turning Point USA on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday showed the statue and an adjacent sign defaced with paint. The sign, which featured Kirk's image and the phrase "May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving savior," also had the name of Jesus crossed out. The organization stated that it is reviewing footage of the incident and cooperating with law enforcement to identify those responsible.
"Vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical," Turning Point USA wrote in a post. "The incident happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps."
Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, echoed the condemnation, writing on X that attempts to silence her husband's voice or obscure his legacy have only amplified them. "Every attempt to tear down what Charlie built makes us root deeper and work even harder," she stated. "And if you think crossing out the name of Jesus Christ will silence Christians, history has already proved you wrong."
As of Monday, the Phoenix Police Department had not publicly identified any suspects or made arrests in connection with the vandalism, according to USA Today.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, during an appearance at Utah Valley University. The alleged assailant, Tyler Robinson, reportedly spoke out against Kirk, who was known for controversial views. Robinson, 23, pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges earlier this month.