A statue of Charlie Kirk at the Turning Point USA headquarters was vandalized following the one year anniversary of his death.
“We will restore the statue and replace the signs,” Turning Point USA wrote in a statement shared via X on Sunday, September 13. “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 conservative nonprofit organization, which was founded by Charlie and now run by widow Erika Kirk, included several photos of the vandalized memorial at their headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. One photo included the statue of Charlie splashed with red paint alongside his face and neck. An additional picture showed posters of Charlie at the memorial site were spray painted with a red X across his face.
“But vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical,” Turning Point USA continued. “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.”
Turning Point concluded its message with the biblical verse, John 15:18, that stated, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
Erika, 37, also reacted to the vandalism of her late husband’s statue.
“Charlie once said we should be building two statues for every statue that they tear down,” she wrote via X on Sunday. “His instinct was always to build, not to destroy. They thought a bullet would silence my husband’s voice but it only made it louder. 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.”
Charlie died on September 10, 2025 after being fatally shot while participating in a campus discussion at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31 at the time of his death. Charlie was survived by Erika and their two children.
Utah police arrested Tyler James Robinson in connection with the shooting and he was subsequently charged with aggravated murder and six other charges. Robinson, now 23, has pleaded not guilty.
During Charlie’s public funeral, which was attended by many notable conservatives, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Erika gave a eulogy and publicly forgave Robinson for his alleged actions.
“I forgive him because it is what Christ did,” Erika told mourners at the ceremony. “The answer to hate is not hate.”
