An 8-foot statue honoring slain Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was vandalized with red paint outside the organization’s Phoenix headquarters just days after being unveiled on the first anniversary of his death.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
A newly unveiled statue honoring Charlie Kirk was vandalized outside Turning Point USA’s Phoenix headquarters over the weekend, just days after the memorial was installed to mark one year since the conservative activist was shot and killed at a Utah college event.
The 8-foot statue was found covered with red paint Sunday morning, while a nearby memorial poster had also been defaced, according to Arizona’s Family. Red paint was smeared across portions of the statue, including its face and chest, where a frowning face had been painted.
The statue had been installed Thursday outside Turning Point USA’s headquarters near 48th Street and Baseline Road as part of commemorations marking the first anniversary of Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025, assassination.
Kirk, 31, co-founded Turning Point USA and became one of the country’s most prominent conservative activists, building an organization focused heavily on college campuses and young voters. He was speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when he was shot and killed.
The Phoenix statue depicts Kirk wearing a shirt bearing the word “FREEDOM.”
Turning Point USA said it plans to restore the statue and replace damaged memorial materials while reviewing surveillance footage and cooperating with law enforcement in an effort to identify whoever was responsible.
Phoenix police confirmed that officers responded Sunday morning to reports of vandalism involving the memorial. Authorities had not publicly identified a suspect as of Sunday, and a motive had not been established.
The vandalism came only three days after the statue was unveiled as supporters gathered in Phoenix and Utah to commemorate Kirk’s death.
The organization has continued holding events and campus programs in the year since Kirk was killed, while the statue outside its Phoenix headquarters was intended as a permanent tribute to its co-founder.
Instead, within days of its installation, the memorial became the subject of a police investigation after being defaced with red paint.
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