Members of Turning Point USA are speaking out after a new statue of the far-right political group’s slain founder, Charlie Kirk, was vandalized.
The 8-foot-tall statue was unveiled Thursday outside Turning Point USA’s Phoenix headquarters in commemoration of the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s death. It depicts Kirk tossing baseball caps in a T-shirt featuring the word “Freedom.”
On Sunday, Turning Point USA shared images on X of the statue, which had been defaced with what appeared to be red paint. An adjacent sign featuring a photo of Kirk’s face along with the phrase, “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving savior,” was similarly vandalized.
“We will restore the statue and replace the signs, but we are also reviewing the footage of the incident and are working with law enforcement to identify who did this and hold them accountable,” the organization wrote. “But vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical.”
After noting that the incident “happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps,” they added, “Beyond spray painting on the neck and face, they made the intentional decision to cross out the name of Jesus on a nearby sign.”
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, echoed those sentiments.
“They thought a bullet would silence my husband’s voice but it only made it louder,” she wrote Sunday on X. “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. And if you think crossing out the name of Jesus Christ will silence Christians, history has already proved you wrong.”
By Monday, the Phoenix Police Department had yet to publicly identify any suspects or make any arrests in connection with the vandalism, according to USA Today.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during a Utah Valley University appearance on Sept. 10, 2025. The alleged assassin was a Utah man named Tyler Robinson, who reportedly spoke out against Kirk ― known for spreading racist, sexist, transphobic and nationalist beliefs ― in a series of text messages with his roommate and romantic partner.
Earlier this month, Robinson, 23, pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges.