An independent external review commissioned by Utah Valley University (UVU) found significant deficiencies in the university's security planning and implementation leading up to the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025. The report, released Friday, concluded that while UVU had a foundation of safety policies, their application was inconsistent, undocumented, and not operationally integrated, particularly for a high-profile event with elevated security considerations. This led to critical security decisions being deferred to Turning Point USA (TPUSA), Kirk's organization, despite UVU staff raising concerns.
The review highlighted several key failures. UVU did not conduct a formal security assessment or create a written event action plan for Kirk's speech, which was held outdoors in the Fountain Courtyard. TPUSA had initially requested this outdoor location and preferred to manage its own ticketing, projecting approximately 600 attendees. However, the event ultimately drew about 3,000 people. The report also noted a lack of documented line-of-sight assessments, pre-event briefings, or walk-throughs with security stakeholders, and insufficient coordination with TPUSA's private security team and external law enforcement. UVU's police chief had attempted to coordinate a meeting with TPUSA's security about safety measures, but this meeting did not occur.
Kirk, aged 31, was killed by a sniper perched on a rooftop more than 400 feet away while debating students. The report makes nearly 150 recommendations, including hiring a police sergeant dedicated to campus events, creating clear criteria for moving events indoors due to crowd size or line-of-sight issues, and hiring a chief public safety officer and more campus police officers. At the time of the shooting, UVU, the state's largest university with about 50,000 students, had only 13 sworn officers, which the report deemed insufficient. The report did conclude that no UVU employee or agent acted in bad faith or willful disregard for safety.
The findings are particularly pertinent as Kirk's family recently put UVU on notice for a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging that the university's "negligence" and "failures" led to his assassination. The family's lawyer, Brett Parkinson, stated that the report reaffirms their allegations and that "the buck stopped with UVU leadership and law enforcement." The review also noted that existing security systems and cameras, while useful for investigation, were not effectively used for real-time awareness during the incident.
