Vandals destroyed the Great Walls of Indian Heritage in Seattle, Washington. Photo from Andrew Morrison (ziplok30) / Instagram

Andrew Morrison, an artist of Apache and Haida heritage, was crushed after vandals destroyed his murals to Indian leaders in Seattle, Washington.

Morrison surveyed the damage to the 25-foor tall Great Walls of Indian Heritage on Monday. He told The Seattle Times that the crime was an "act of terrorism."

“The 25-foot Chief Seattle is the largest commemoration of the city’s namesake in the country,” Morrison told the paper. “Why would they want to destroy it?”

The Great Walls of Indian Heritage before the vandalism. Photo from Andrew Morrison (ziplok30) / Instagram

Authorities are investigating -- although a spokesperson for the Seattle police department said the incident wasn't being treated as a hate crime. The person or persons who vandalized the murals sometime over the weekend left a signature of sorts.

“We know who did it,” Morrison told the Times. “He was stupid enough to write his own name.”

Morrison donated the murals at the Wilson Pacific School, where he attended as a child. It took him 12 years to paint them, which he valued at $130,000.

Morrison said he will work with his father to restore the murals. Independent of the vandalism, the school is planning to relocate the murals to a new building.

Get the Story:
Artist vows to restore defaced Native American murals (The Seattle Times 2/24)
Vandals target Seattle school's Native American mural (KOMO 2/23)

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