Police in Phoenix have detained a young man who allegedly vandalized a public memorial for Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator killed last week at a university campus in Utah, media cited police as saying.
Newsweek has contacted the Phoenix Police Department to request comment on the incident.
Why It Matters
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University in Orem on September 10 during a question-and-answer session on campus.
His death has caused an outpouring of grief from his fans and followers though some of his critics have celebrated his demise, raising concerns about more polarization and hostility in U.S. political life sparking violence.
Police have detained a suspect in the killing, Tyler Robinson, 22.
What To Know
Phoenix police said in a release to media that a 19-year-old was detained after wrecking a memorial for Kirk at the office of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group that Kirk co-founded.
Footage posted online by members of the public showed a young man in a black T-shirt and jeans wading through a display of flowers, flags and balloons and kicking items before an unidentified man pulled him away and threw him to the ground.
Police quickly moved in to detain the man, handcuff him and lead him away.
“Officers were directed to a man who was seen damaging a community memorial in front of a business…Officers were in the area to assist with traffic control due to a large community presence in the area following recent events,” Fox 10 News cited Sergeant Phil Krynsky, a spokesperson for Phoenix police, as saying in the release.
Krynsky identified the young man as Ryder Corral and said he had been taken into custody and faced criminal damage and disorderly conduct charges.
Similar memorials for Kirk have sprung up around the U.S. and abroad. Police have not released any further information about Corral, but angry social media users denounced him as a leftist and a liberal.
Many political and community leaders have called for reconciliation and a dialing down of inflammatory language and actions.
What People Are Saying
Alex Goldenberg, senior adviser to the Network Contagion Research Institute said soon after Kirk was killed: ‘The online celebrations we’re seeing are consistent with our research into an emerging assassination culture and a rising appetite for political violence.”
Kurt Braddock, a professor at American University who studies extremist communication, previously told Newsweek: “Some—including prominent media figures—have already begun to use Kirk’s death to justify more violence.”
What Happens Next
Prosecutors in Utah County are likely to file formal charges against Robinson on Tuesday, and he is expected to attend an initial court appearance. It is not clear if he has an attorney.