Man Arrested After Spray-Painting Over Victims' Names at 9/11 Memorial

Johnathan Tijerina, 31, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and making graffiti after allegedly spray-painting over names engraved on the 9/11 Memorial's North Pool in Lower Manhattan. The NYPD said Tijerina used spray paint to write 'just stop killing kids' over some of the victims' names on the memorial's bronze parapets. According to police, the man said he staged the act to promote his personal gun control advocacy website, where he has called for universal background checks and a universal gun registry. The graffiti was subsequently cleaned off and officials confirmed there was no permanent damage to the memorial. Tijerina was taken into custody and faces criminal charges. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum expressed outrage at the desecration of the site, which bears the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. NBC New York and CBS New York were among the outlets that reported the story prominently on their homepages on October 30, with readers and officials condemning the act regardless of the political message behind it.