Findings on campus security planning

An independent 158-page review commissioned by Utah Valley University found extensive security gaps ahead of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025. The report, released on September 25, 2026, determined that university administrators failed to conduct a formal security assessment, did not draft a written event action plan, and deferred critical security decisions to Turning Point USA. Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA in 2012, was shot and killed at age 31 by a sniper stationed on a rooftop over 400 feet (122 meters) away during an outdoor campus debate in Orem, Utah. University staff had recommended moving the gathering to a more secure indoor venue weeks before the talk, but Turning Point USA representatives insisted on holding the event in an outdoor courtyard because the organization had used the space previously. The report noted that the choice of an outdoor venue surrounded by multistory buildings created severe vulnerabilities.

“Several key event security decisions were deferred to the TPUSA field representative even though UVU staff members raised concerns, including concerns related to holding the event in the outdoor fountain courtyard area and using TPUSA's ticketing process.”

Breakdown of event coordination

The report documented an absence of standard protective measures and clear communication between university staff, private security, and municipal police forces. Although roughly 3,000 people attended the campus debate, the university never received an estimated attendance count from Turning Point USA, which maintained exclusive control over ticketing. Campus police did not deploy surveillance drones to monitor adjacent rooftops, nor did they coordinate with outside law enforcement agencies to secure the perimeter. Attendees entered the outdoor courtyard without bag checks or metal detector screenings, which the report identified as standard protocols for events of this scale across the country. Evaluators concluded that university personnel did not act with intentional disregard, but their concession of operational control compromised safety.

“Based on our review of all available information, that at no time during the events leading up to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, or in its aftermath, did any employee or agent of UVU act in bad faith or in willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others.”

Missed briefings and missing controls

The investigation revealed that key operational checks broke down on the morning of the speech. Utah Valley University Police Chief Jeff Long attempted to organize an on-site walkthrough with Turning Point USA security supervisor Dan Flood hours before Kirk took the stage. That coordination session never materialized, leaving personnel without a unified protocol or a documented line-of-sight evaluation of nearby elevated structures. The sniper subsequently fired from an unmonitored roof overlooking the fountain courtyard in the early afternoon.

“Chief Long texted Dan Flood to meet on the Hall of Flags outdoor pedestrian walkway at 11[am], however, this face-to-face meeting did not occur.”

Legal proceedings and criminal trial

The release of the after-action report coincides with ongoing legal action by Kirk's family and the state criminal prosecution against the suspected shooter. Earlier in September 2026, Kirk's family submitted a wrongful death notice to Utah state officials, arguing that university administrators made reckless operational choices that left Kirk exposed to sniper fire. Suspect Tyler Robinson turned himself in to law enforcement authorities on September 11, 2025, one day after the shooting. Robinson has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, a charge that carries the death penalty upon conviction. On September 1, 2026, a Utah judge ordered Robinson's case to proceed toward trial, with a formal trial date pending.