Independent review finds security failures at Utah campus where Charlie Kirk was shot

An independent review has identified a series of security shortcomings at Utah Valley University (UVU), where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on 10 September 2025. The report found that the university had not completed a formal written security assessment or a proper event action plan, instead leaving key decisions to Kirk's organisation, Turning Point USA.

The 31-year-old activist was speaking to a crowd of thousands in a campus courtyard in Orem when he was shot from a nearby rooftop. According to the review, university officials had already flagged concerns in August about hosting the event in a courtyard surrounded by tall buildings and had proposed alternative locations, including indoor venues. A Turning Point representative reportedly insisted on the same courtyard because Kirk had spoken there before and the group knew the site well.

Despite what the reviewers called significant protective considerations, no formal line-of-sight assessment was ever documented during planning. The report also pointed to poor coordination between campus police and Kirk's private security detail, noting that a planned meeting between the university's police chief and Turning Point's security team never took place before the event. The absence of a joint briefing and site walk-through, the reviewers said, was a missed chance to spot risks and clarify responsibilities.

Still, the review concluded that no university staff member or representative acted in bad faith or showed reckless disregard for safety. Kirk's family, who had already accused the university of serious security lapses and filed a wrongful-death notice, said through their lawyer, Brett Parkinson, that the report validated their concerns, adding that ultimate responsibility rested with UVU leadership and law enforcement.

UVU President Jon Anderson said the university needed to learn from the report and act on its recommendations. It had previously emerged that campus police failed to carry out standard precautions seen at other high-profile US events, such as flying a drone over rooftops or running bag checks and metal-detector screening. Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing Kirk, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.