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Charlie Kirk TPUSA memorial statue defaced with spray paint in Tempe
Turning Point USA plans to restore a bronze statue of Charlie Kirk after vandals covered it in red spray paint just days after its unveiling. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen learns how the community and TPUSA are reacting.
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Charlie Kirk statue outside of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) was vandalized just days after the one-year mark of the assassination.
What we know:
Phoenix Police received calls about the vandalism at the late conservative activists' memorial in Tempe just after 8 a.m. on Sept. 13.
Red spray paint covered the 8-foot-tall bronze statue, which was unveiled on Sept. 10 at TPUSA's headquarters near 48th Street and Beverly Road. The paint covered his face and the area on his neck where he was shot at Utah Valley University. A sad face can be seen on the torso, while red covered the left hand and hats. On Kirk's memorial, an X covered his face, while the word "Jesus" was seemingly crossed out.
TPUSA said they plan to restore the statue and replace the signs. By Sunday evening, the statue was cleaned off.
What Supporters are Saying:
"I don't know why someone has to come out here and mess it for the people that supported him," Jason Agan, a supporter of Kirk said.
"He was non-violent, so he just died for his beliefs, his challenge to make society better,' supporter Kyle Elliott said. "Like a turning point, just like the name of the company…Turning Point USA, so we are at a turning point for sure and it's because of Charlie Kirk."
Supporters paid their respects outside TPUSA headquarters.
"It was moving and my daughters particularly enjoyed some of the things that he stood for," supporter Greg Kiefer said.
The backstory:
Kirk, who was the co-founder of TPUSA, was speaking during a Turning Point event at a college in Utah when he was shot in the neck. He later died at a nearby hospital.
The days following the deadly shooting, Tyler Robinson was arrested for his murder. He has since pleaded not guilty to charges, but if convicted, could face the death penalty.
On Sept. 10, Utah-based sculptor Quintin McCann told FOX 10 he started sculpting Kirk’s likeness almost immediately after his assassination.
"Someone's death, who I've never met, has never impacted me so much. And I'm sure many people can agree. And I just stayed at work that evening and just started sculpting his portrait," McCann said.
TPUSA Leaders Speak Out:
TPUSA said they are reviewing surveillance video of the defacement that happened in the overnight hours.
"This is an important year for people to wake up and realize that that's not the kind of country that we want to live in," Tyler Bowler, TPUSA's Chief Operating Officer said. "That's the funny part about horrible things, is that, it sometimes helps spread truth. We've seen that over the course of this last year."
Charlie's wife, Erika Kirk, responded to the vandalism Sunday, saying in part, "They thought a bullet would silence my husband’s voice but it only made it louder. They think spray paint can obscure his legacy, but it will only spread it further. Every attempt to tear down what Charlie built makes us root deeper and work even harder."
Dig deeper:
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell reacted to the vandalism Sunday, saying these acts will not be tolerated.
TPUSA added that they were only going to keep the statue outside the gate until Sept. 16, but because of this incident, could be keeping it out longer.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to call Phoenix Police or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered by the Phoenix Police Department, Turning Point USA's social media, and previous FOX reports.