Woman identified as vandal who defaced ‘Charleston 9’ memorial site, SC cops say

Warrants have been issued for a woman suspected of vandalizing the Charleston 9 Memorial Park on Friday, according to the Charleston Police Department.

Arrest warrants for charges including malicious injury to real property, attempts to burn, and petit larceny were issued for Eman Mubarak Brown, a 32-year-old Charleston resident, according to a police release.

The memorial was created to honor the nine Charleston Fire Department firefighters who died fighting a blaze at a furniture store in 2007.

Several crosses and flags in the park were removed, some found in the street, and at least one of the flags was burned, according to a fire department Twitter post on June 26.

“Today, we experienced a heartless act of vandalism at the Charleston 9 Memorial Park,” a statement posted on Facebook said. “The damages to the property were minor, but the actions against our hearts were difficult to measure.”

Police and members of the Fire Marshal Division worked together on the investigation, the release said.

Video from surveillance cameras near the memorial helped authorities identify Brown as a suspect.

“We would like to thank the members of the community and of our extended fire service family for your support throughout this incident. Thank you to our partners in the Charleston Police Department who were able to quickly resolve this situation,” Charleston Fire Chief Dan Curia said.