An independent report reveals that Turning Point USA demanded the conservative leader Charlie Kirk deliver his speech outdoors at Utah Valley University—the site of his eventual assassination—despite explicit security concerns raised by university administrators and law enforcement.
Commissioned by Utah Valley University (UVU) and published on Friday, the 158-page document investigates the security protocols preceding the September 10, 2025, fatal shooting of the 31-year-old activist during a campus event in Orem, Utah.
The report details how university personnel advised Turning Point USA (TPUSA) to relocate the event to a more secure venue weeks prior to Kirk’s death. Nevertheless, TPUSA “insisted upon” an outdoor setting, which the report notes “created significant protective operations considerations.”
The investigation also highlighted that a mandatory pre-event briefing and physical walkthrough—involving UVU Police Chief Jeff Long and the TPUSA security team, including security supervisor Dan Flood—”should also have occurred” on campus hours before the speech.
“Chief Long attempted to coordinate with Dan Flood for an 11:00 AM meeting at the Hall of Flags outdoor pedestrian walkway, but this face-to-face briefing never materialized,” according to the report.
Kirk was fatally shot by a sniper during the early afternoon of that day.
The report notes that the university requested an estimated attendance figure from TPUSA. However, the organization never supplied this information, even though it maintained control over the event’s ticketing process, as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune.
“Our review of all available evidence demonstrates that no UVU employee or agent acted in bad faith or with willful disregard for the safety of others at any point during the events leading to Charlie Kirk’s assassination or in its aftermath,” the report concluded.
Conversely, the report criticized UVU’s deference to TPUSA regarding logistical decisions. “Despite concerns raised by UVU staff, several critical security decisions were delegated to the TPUSA field representative, including the choice of the outdoor fountain courtyard and the utilization of TPUSA’s ticketing process,” the university stated.
“These choices situated the event in a highly uncontrollable environment and severely restricted UVU’s capacity to acquire accurate, real-time data concerning expected attendance and crowd dimensions.”
The report further emphasized: “UVU should have maintained authority over critical security-related decisions, encompassing venue selection, ticketing protocols, access control, and other essential conditions required to ensure campus safety.”
Responding to the findings, Kirk family attorney Brett Parkinson stated: “UVU organized this event and, by doing so, assumed full responsibility for the safety of all attendees, including Charlie Kirk. Accountability rested squarely with UVU leadership and law enforcement.”
“Achieving justice for Charlie and his family demands genuine accountability for the fatal security failures committed by UVU that day.”
In a separate statement, UVU President Jon Anderson affirmed the university’s responsibility to “learn from the findings of this review and diligently implement its recommendations.”
“This obligation necessitates humility, a candid evaluation of our policies and practices, and an unwavering commitment to act upon our findings,” Anderson’s statement added.
Anderson, who assumed the presidency in August, also noted that UVU had made “substantial progress in fortifying campus safety over the preceding year.”
The Kirk family intends to pursue legal action against the university. In a September 16 legal notice signaling impending wrongful death litigation, the family alleged that UVU placed “a politically controversial figure like Charlie Kirk in an outdoor event… surrounded by tall buildings and elevated observation platforms”—a setup they likened to “walking him into a fishbowl.”
UVU acknowledged the legal notice, stating that it “addresses legal matters in accordance with our established processes,” per The Tribune.
Utah resident Tyler Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder in connection with Kirk’s assassination. He has entered a plea of not guilty, and no trial date had been established as of Friday.