PHOENIX (AP) — A Confederate monument at an Arizona state government memorial plaza in Phoenix has been cleaned after it was defaced with paint a second time this week amid controversy over Confederate statutes and other honors.
The state Department of Public Safety said troopers early Thursday confirmed that the Confederate Troops Memorial at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza had been painted.
The DPS says a suspect described as a white man in his 40s was last seen riding a bicycle nearby.
The state Department of Administration said the monument also was cleaned Wednesday after it was painted Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
Gov. Doug Ducey earlier denounced hate groups but refused to heed calls from civil rights leaders to take the lead to remove six Confederate monuments.
