Review finds security planning gaps at event where Charlie Kirk was killed

Kirk, 31, was addressing a crowd at the university’s Orem campus on 10 September 2025 when he was shot from a nearby rooftop. The university released the external review on 25 September 2026. [1] [5]

The review found no comprehensive written security assessment or event action plan, and no documented assessment of sightlines to the outdoor venue. University officials had raised concerns about using the courtyard and suggested alternative locations. Turning Point USA (TPUSA) asked to keep the event there, and the university agreed. Campus police and TPUSA security also failed to hold a joint pre-event briefing and security walk-through. [2]

One warning did prompt action: after TPUSA security raised concerns about an elevated walkway, campus officers directed people away from the area above Kirk’s speaking position and taped it off. A proposed meeting there between the police chief and TPUSA security did not take place. [2]

The reviewers said no university employee or agent had acted in bad faith or shown wilful and wanton disregard for others’ safety. Kirk’s family alleges that tighter security would have prevented his death. Its notice of claim was a preliminary legal step, not a lawsuit. [2] [7]