Charlie Kirk’s family says security failures by Utah officials led to his assassination

Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative activist’s assassination at a state university, in a wrongful death notice announced Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit.

Attorneys for the family said Kirk’s death resulted from a string of “reckless decisions” by officials at Utah Valley University that left him exposed to a rooftop sniper, who fired a fatal shot from more than 400 feet (122 meters) away on Sept. 10, 2025. The university has faced harsh criticism for a lack of key safety measures on the day of the shooting.

Kirk, 31, had been debating students in an outdoor courtyard surrounded by tall buildings and with several thousand people in attendance. An Associated Press review following the shooting showed the campus in Orem did not use several public safety practices that have become standard safeguards at events around the country.

He asked the last question before Charlie Kirk was shot

Campus police staffing was far below recommended levels for a school of that size . They also did not fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event attended by about 3,000 people. There were no bag checks or metal detectors.

“The risk of a rooftop shooter should have been especially top-of-mind given the attempted assassination of President Trump, Charlie Kirk’s close friend and political ally, by a rooftop shooter the previous year,” Kirk family attorney D. Loren Washburn wrote in the notice to state and university officials.

The document, dated September 9, a day before the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s death, is a required step under state law before his family can file a formal claim or lawsuit. It names the university and its then-president, Astrid Tuminez; the campus police department and its chief, Jeffrey Long; and the state of Utah.

A spokesperson for Utah Valley University said the school was aware of the notice and would address it “consistent with our established processes.”

“Our focus remains on supporting our campus community,” spokesperson Sharon Turner said in a statement.

The Utah Attorney General’s Office said it does not comment on potential litigation.

Attorneys for Kirk’s family alleged additional lapses by officials, including not conducting an adequate risk assessment before approving the event, failing to establish a secure perimeter and having no first responders immediately available, resulting in Kirk being taken to a nearby hospital in a private vehicle rather than an ambulance after he was shot.

“Tragically, the UVU Parties took none of these safety measures — steps only they had the authority to take — resulting in a situation that rendered Mr. Kirk helpless before his assassin,” Washburn wrote.

Long said after the shooting that six of his officers staffed the event and coordinated with Kirk’s eight-person private security team. The school said it was expanding its police force following the shooting.

Utah resident Tyler Robinson turned himself in a day after Kirk’s killing. Prosecutors say he told his romantic partner that he “had enough of his (Kirk’s) hatred.”

Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. A judge on Sept. 1 ordered the case to proceed toward trial. A date has not yet been set.

Prosecutors during a preliminary hearing in July presented what they characterized as overwhelming evidence against Robinson. That includes surveillance video of Robinson on the campus, DNA tests linking him to a rifle found near the assassination site and a handwritten note he allegedly left for his romantic partner that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it.”

Kirk’s parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, and widow, Erika Kirk, attended the hearings.

State law allows heirs or personal representatives of people who die to file lawsuits seeking damages if the death was caused by a wrongful act or negligence. The notice from Kirk’s family did not specify what damages they may seek.

特伦特·尼尔森/《盐湖城论坛报》/盖蒂图片社

查理·柯克的家人在周三发布的非正常死亡通知中指责犹他州官员未能阻止这位保守派活动家在州立大学被暗杀，这预示着可能会提起诉讼。

柯克的家人律师表示，柯克的死是由于犹他谷大学官员一系列“鲁莽的决定”造成的，这些决定使他暴露在一名屋顶狙击手的枪口下，该狙击手于2025年9月10日从122米（400英尺）外开枪将其击毙。该大学因在枪击事件当天缺乏关键的安全措施而受到严厉批评。

31岁的柯克当时正在一个被高楼环绕的户外庭院里与学生辩论，现场有数千人。美联社在枪击事件发生后进行的调查显示，奥勒姆的这所大学校园没有采取一些已成为全国各地活动标准安全措施的公共安全措施。

在查理·柯克被枪击前，他问了最后一个问题。

校园警力配备远低于同等规模学校的推荐水平。他们也没有出动无人机监控屋顶，或与当地执法部门协调，以确保这场约有3000人参加的活动的安全。现场没有进行行李检查，也没有金属探测器。

“鉴于前一年一名屋顶枪手试图刺杀特朗普总统（查理·柯克的密友和政治盟友），屋顶枪手的风险应该引起人们的特别重视，”柯克家族的律师D·洛伦·沃什伯恩在给州政府和大学官员的通知中写道。

这份日期为9月9日的文件，即柯克去世一周年纪念日的前一天，是州法律规定的柯克家人提起正式索赔或诉讼的必要步骤。文件中列出了犹他大学及其时任校长阿斯特丽德·图米内斯、校园警察局及其局长杰弗里·朗以及犹他州政府。

犹他谷大学的一位发言人表示，学校已经注意到该通知，并将“按照我们既定的流程”处理此事。

发言人莎伦·特纳在一份声明中表示：“我们将继续专注于支持我们的校园社区。”

犹他州总检察长办公室表示，不对潜在的诉讼发表评论。

柯克的家人律师指控官员们还有其他失职行为，包括在批准活动前没有进行充分的风险评估，没有建立安全的警戒线，也没有急救人员立即到场，导致柯克中枪后被私人车辆而不是救护车送往附近的医院。

“令人痛心的是，UVU 方面没有采取任何这些安全措施——只有他们才有权采取这些措施——导致柯克先生在刺客面前无力反抗，”沃什伯恩写道。

枪击事件发生后，朗警官表示，他派出了六名警员在现场执勤，并与柯克学校的八人私人保安团队协调配合。学校方面表示，枪击事件发生后，他们将扩充警力。

犹他州居民泰勒·罗宾逊在柯克遇害一天后自首。检方称，他曾告诉他的伴侣，他“受够了柯克的仇恨”。

罗宾逊被控犯有加重谋杀罪，如果罪名成立，他将面临死刑。9月1日，法官下令此案进入审判程序。开庭日期尚未确定。

在7月份的预审听证会上，检方出示了他们所称的针对罗宾逊的压倒性证据。这些证据包括罗宾逊在校园内的监控录像、将他与在暗杀现场附近发现的一支步枪联系起来的DNA检测结果，以及据称他留给其伴侣的一张手写纸条，上面写着：“我有机会干掉查理·柯克，我抓住了这个机会。”

柯克的父母罗伯特·柯克和凯瑟琳·柯克，以及遗孀埃里卡·柯克出席了听证会。

州法律允许死者的继承人或遗嘱执行人提起诉讼，要求赔偿因不当行为或疏忽造成的损失。柯克家人的通知并未具体说明他们可以寻求哪些赔偿。