UVU report cites security failures on day of Charlie Kirk assassination
An independent review says Utah Valley University had several security failures on the day political commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated on the Orem campus. The 158-page report cites lapses in planning, coordination and staffing ahead of the outdoor event.
The report, released Friday, states that UVU staff and security personnel deferred key decisions to the Turning Point USA field team. It found no formal written security assessment was carried out by the university before the event.
“Several key event-security decisions were deferred to TPUSA field representative even though UVU staff members raised concerns, including concerns related to holding the event in the outdoor Fountain Courtyard and use its own ticketing system rather than the University’s system,” the report read.
Those decisions placed Kirk in an area that was “more difficult to control,” the report said. It also limited UVU’s ability to gather crowd size and attendance data.
UVU Police Department Chief Jeffrey Long messaged TPUSA Security Supervisor Dan Flood, seeking a meeting to align on security. The face-to-face meeting never happened, the report found.
Notice of claim and family response
Lawyers for the Kirk family previously sent a notice of claim to UVU. They accused the university of having no security plan and only six police officers working the event. They also alleged a TPUSA member texted Long before the event with concerns about the specific rooftop where the shooter fired from.
Brett Parkinson, an attorney for the Kirk family, told The Hill the report “affirms the facts we laid out in our Notice of Claim: that UVU security was woefully understaffed and unprepared to manage the obvious risks associated with an event of this nature.”
“UVU hosted this event, and in doing so, assumed responsibility for the safety of all in attendance, including Charlie. The buck stopped with UVU leadership and law enforcement,” Parkinson said. “Justice for Charlie and his family requires true accountability for UVU’s fatal shortcomings that day.”
University response and findings
UVU President Jon Anderson said in a press release that the university’s “responsibility is to care for our community, learn from the findings of this review, and follow through on its recommendations.” He added the report “provides additional recommendations” for UVU to guide its work in the future.
The review also stated the university’s actions during the shooting were “significantly inconsistent” with its policies. It concluded no UVU personnel acted “in bad faith or in willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others.”
Kirk was fatally shot while debating student Hunter Kozak. Tyler Robinson was arrested and charged in connection with Kirk’s death for aggravated murder, along with six other counts. The murder case was sent to trial last month, where Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted.
