Just a few days after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, 19-year-old Ryder Corral was arrested in Phoenix for vandalizing a memorial to Kirk at the TPUSA headquarters.
For context, Police Sgt. Phil Krynsky noted that Corral had been charged with criminal damage and disorderly conduct. Additionally, some witnesses reported that the assailant wore a shirt matching the alleged shooter’s and muttering hateful remarks while recording himself during the commission of the crime.
In any case, Phoenix Police Sgt. Phil Krynsky described the incident that led to a viral video. He noted, “Officers were directed to a man who was seen damaging a community memorial in front of a business near 48th Street and Beverly Road.”
Providing more context on the charges for the callous counter-demonstration, the official said, “Officers were in the area to assist with traffic control due to a large community presence in the area following recent events. Corral will be booked on multiple charges to include criminal damage and disorderly conduct.”
The violent interaction, which ended when conservatives grabbed Corral and threw him to the ground, was witnessed by a large crowd gathered to mourn the passing of Kirk. Kyle Nickels, one of the mourners, said, “He wore the same shirt as the shooter did, and he was walking down, he had some kind of body cam device … he had a phone, I think he was recording himself because he was talking to himself, so I’m assuming he was recording himself.”
Adding more information, he revealed, “He was saying a lot of hateful things towards Charlie, that I don’t want to reiterate, so me and the officer were staring at him, and I was like, ‘This guy’s going to do something,'”
Another person who attended the vigil said, “We were just in complete shock that this was happening over here because this is supposed to be peaceful, and it’s not supposed to be any kind of craziness happening at this time.”
"*" indicates required fields
Echoing these points, another supporter said, “It’s just heartbreaking. We want to show our support. Even those who engage in violence, we love them, and we forgive them, and we want to win them for Christ.” One of the people who attended the vigil, who carried a large cross, noted, “I’ve been in 33 states with the cross, and I’ve been in a lot of tragic situations. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I’ve never felt this much love.”
As we previously reported, Vice President JD Vance issued his own tribute to his friend on social media. He posted, ‘I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that’s how I learned the news that my friend had been shot. I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in.”
Watch the clip here:
Concluding his remarks, the VP noted, “God didn’t answer those prayers, and that’s OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I’ll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly. You ran a good race, my friend. We’ve got it from here.”
Featured image from embedded video