The new Charlie Kirk memorial at Turning Point USA’s Phoenix headquarters lasted three days before somebody decided even a statue of an assassinated conservative was too much to tolerate.
The eight-foot bronze statue, unveiled Thursday to mark one year since Kirk was murdered, was found Sunday morning covered in red paint. Vandals painted an X across Kirk’s face, sprayed red paint around his neck, and defaced a nearby religious memorial. Phoenix police confirmed officers responded to reports of vandalism and were investigating. No suspect had been identified as of Sunday afternoon.
The location of the paint was hard to miss. Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at a college event in Utah on Sept. 10, 2025.
Apparently, that wasn’t gruesome enough for whoever showed up at TPUSA headquarters overnight.
Photos posted by Turning Point Action Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer showed red paint running down the statue’s neck and chest. A large memorial display behind the statue was also targeted. The display read, “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior.”
Bowyer did not bother dressing it up.
This morning we woke up to radical criminals vandalizing our Headquarters.
Crossing over Charlie’s face, scratching out Jesus and the Cross & spraying red paint on his neck.
This isn’t the country we want to live in.
Arizona is not Gotham. pic.twitter.com/bwCxMdnCGY
— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) September 13, 2026
“This isn’t the country we want to live in,” he added. “Arizona is not Gotham.”
That should not be a controversial observation.
The vandals even crossed out “Jesus.” Bowyer said it appeared they wrote “Satan” over it.
It appears they wrote “Satan” after crossing out Jesus. pic.twitter.com/tJENYb9u7D
— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) September 13, 2026
Charlie Kirk’s murder was already an act of political violence. One year later, somebody went to the headquarters of the organization he founded, found a memorial to him, painted the spot where he was shot, and scratched out the name of Jesus.
Bowyer later said police were investigating and that TPUSA would begin cleaning the memorial once officers released the scene.
I am here now— God Bless the Police as they investigate the violent thugs who did this.
We are ready to clean as soon as they release the scene.
I hope this is a wake up call for conservatives.
If Arizona becomes California like this, we lose America. https://t.co/PHLntnfAMr
— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) September 13, 2026
TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet struck a different tone, saying the organization would pray for whoever was responsible.
“The vandals doing this in the middle of the night only underscores something we’ve sadly come to understand in a whole new way. Evil never sleeps. But God is in control, and we’ll pray that whoever did this is held accountable and comes to know Him.”
Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh (AZ-8) called the vandalism “truly abhorrent,” slamming the vandals as “intolerant and militant.”
“The young people who work at Turning Point don’t deserve this, Charlie’s family doesn’t deserve this, his friends don’t deserve this,” Hamadeh wrote.
The statue, created by artist Quintin McCann, contains a cross, Kirk’s wedding ring, a TPUSA hat and a shirt bearing the word “FREEDOM.” Bowyer said Thursday that the Phoenix location was temporary before the statue is moved to its permanent home.
The vandalism follows several grotesque reactions from social-media users who made posts celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death on its anniversary.
It took vandals less than 72 hours to get to it
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