Charlie Kirk statue vandalized outside of Turning Point USA headquarters

The Phoenix, Ariz., Police Department on Sunday said a statue of conservative activist Charlie Kirk outside the headquarters of his organization, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was vandalized days after the one-year anniversary of his death .

Police told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation that they received calls about vandalism to a memorial in the area of 4900 E Beverly Road at around 8:09 a.m. The incident is under investigation. Phoenix police said anyone with information about the incident call the department.

TPUSA shared photos of the vandalized statue, splattered with red paint, on the social platform X. The organization said it will restore the statue and that it is working with police to identify a suspect, referring to video footage of the incident.

“But vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical,” the organization stated on X . “The incident happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps. Beyond spray painting on the neck and face, they made the intentional decision to cross out the name of Jesus on a nearby sign.”

Thursday, Sept. 10, marked one year since Kirk was at Utah Valley University (UVU) as the first stop of his “American Comeback Tour,” where students were invited to challenge his views. These campus debates were a signature part of Kirk’s public and online profile, as these debates would at times go viral.

Kirk was in the middle of debating student Hunter Kozak moments before he was assassinated, which was captured on video and became one of the most prominent acts of political violence in 2025.

One man, Tyler Robinson, was arrested and charged in connection with Kirk’s death on a count of aggravated murder, along with six other counts. The murder case was sent to trial last month, where Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted.

Kozak told The Salt Lake Tribune that he faced a year of harassment online, with some people online claiming he was in on the shooting or that his reaction to the shot showed that he knew it was coming. He denied these claims and said he cooperated with the FBI during its investigation.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) called Thursday “ Charlie Kirk Day ” for the state to honor the late TPUSA founder. TPUSA held a memorial at UVU on Thursday.

On Wednesday, President Trump called Kirk “ a great friend ” at the Republican National Committee midterm convention in Dallas. He tied Kirk to defeating Democrats in the midterm elections.

“Those same people are trying to get power over you in this election, and they’re all voting Democrat,” he said. “We will not let them win, in Charlie’s honor.”