EDITOR's NOTE: This article has been updated and clarified on Aug. 23, 2017.
PHOENIX - As our 12 News crew was preparing a live report from the State Capitol, a person vandalized a nearby Confederate monument.
Our crew could not see the vandalism from their vantage point. The vandalism took place on the other side of the monument and their view was obstructed.
When our reporter realized what was happening, he immediately contacted the authorities and gave a description of the suspect. Our reporter told viewers that he called police when he saw the vandalism.
The monument, dedicated to Arizona Confederate soldiers, had been spray painted white and a white cross was painted along the bottom of the statue.
The spray paint was washed of the statue before 6 a.m. on Aug. 17.
An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact police.
