A statue of the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk outside the organization’s Phoenix, Arizona, headquarters was vandalized overnight, Turning Point USA announced Sunday, with red paint splattered across the figure’s face, neck, and hand.
The organization said the vandalism occurred in the middle of the night and that it is reviewing surveillance footage and working with law enforcement to identify whoever was responsible. The incident came just days after the first anniversary of Kirk’s assassination, which occurred while he was speaking to students at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
What the photos show
Tyler Bowyer, chief operating officer of Turning Point Action, posted photos on X showing the damaged statue alongside a sign that had also been defaced. The sign carried a photo of Kirk with a red “X” painted across his face, and red paint had been applied over the word “Jesus” in the caption: “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior.”
On the statue itself, red paint was sprayed across Kirk’s neck and face, and on one of the hands holding a baseball cap. An upside-down smiley face, also in red paint, appeared at the bottom of the figure’s shirt.
“This morning we woke up to radical criminals vandalizing our Headquarters,” Bowyer wrote, describing the marking of Kirk’s face, the crossing out of Jesus and the cross, and the paint on Kirk’s neck.
Turning Point USA responds
In a post on X, Turning Point USA said it would repair the damage but framed the act as something more than a prank. “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.”
The group noted that the incident happened in the middle of the night because “evil never sleeps,” and pointed specifically to the choice to cross out the name of Jesus on the nearby sign as an intentional act beyond the spray painting on the statue’s neck and face.
A call for forgiveness from Kirk’s former chief of staff
Mikey McCoy, who served as Kirk’s chief of staff, responded to the vandalism with a post on X that invoked both Kirk’s approach to hostile audiences and Christian teachings on forgiveness.
McCoy wrote that if Kirk could “return again and again to the campuses where he was hated and mocked and continue to meet hostility with courage and an invitation to dialogue,” and if Christ could pray from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” then he could surrender the anger and disgust he felt at the sight of the defaced statue.
He also referenced the stoning of Stephen, who McCoy said cried out to God with his final breaths, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” McCoy said he would pray instead for the repentance and salvation of those who carry out, mock, and celebrate what he called evil acts.
Context
Kirk’s killing at Utah Valley University in September 2025 drew national attention, and the first anniversary of his death was marked days before the statue was defaced. In an interview with Breitbart News, President Trump described Kirk’s assassination as “a sad cloud over the country.”
The statue stood outside Turning Point USA’s Phoenix headquarters, where the organization is based. The sign that was vandalized alongside it carried a religious message about Kirk being received into the arms of Jesus.
Turning Point USA said it was cooperating with law enforcement and reviewing footage of the incident as part of an effort to identify those involved. No arrests or suspects had been announced as of the organization’s Sunday statement.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/13/photo-turning-point-usas-charlie-kirk-statue-vandalized-splattered-with-red-paint/