Charlie Kirk's family alleges Utah officials' failures led to his assassination

September 16, 2026 at 08:33 PM2 min

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Charlie Kirk's family has filed a legal notice accusing Utah Valley University and state officials of 'stunning failures and reckless decisions' that led to his 2025 assassination during a campus event. The notice, filed on 9 September, names the university, local police, the state of Utah, and other officials as parties allegedly aware of threats against Kirk. The family alleges the university failed to secure rooftops, assign enough police, or provide an on-site ambulance.

Key Facts

The legal notice was filed on 9 September, one day before the one-year anniversary of Kirk's death.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed by a gunman positioned on a roof while speaking to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University.
The notice names Utah Valley University, local police, the state of Utah, and other university officials as parties allegedly aware of threats against Kirk.
Tyler Robinson, 23, of Utah, accused of shooting Kirk from a roof, is due in court next month to hear his trial date and denies aggravated murder and six other charges.
Prosecutors have called for the death penalty for Robinson.

The Legal Notice

Lawyers for Kirk's family filed the notice on 9 September, a day before the one-year anniversary of his death. The notice alleges that Utah Valley University and state officials made 'stunning failures and reckless decisions' that created a foreseeable danger to Kirk. It names Utah Valley University, local police, the state of Utah, and other university officials as parties who were allegedly aware of threats against Kirk and did not take steps to protect him. The family's attorney, D Loren Washburn, wrote that the risk of a rooftop shooter should have been especially top-of-mind given the attempted assassination of President Trump, Kirk's close friend and political ally, by a rooftop shooter the previous year.

Security Failures Alleged

The family alleges the university failed to conduct a meaningful security assessment ahead of the event, failed to assign enough police officers, and did not have an ambulance available on site. They also allege the university ignored warnings about securing the rooftops surrounding the courtyard where Kirk was speaking. The notice states that placing a politically controversial figure like Kirk in an outdoor event surrounded by tall buildings and elevated observation platforms is 'accurately described as walking him into a fishbowl'. Kirk was speaking to a crowd of thousands on the university campus when he was shot and killed by a gunman positioned on a roof.

The Accused

Tyler Robinson, a 23-year-old man from Utah, has been accused of shooting Kirk from a roof. Robinson is due to appear in court next month to hear the date of his trial. He denies aggravated murder, a capital offence in the state, as well as six other charges. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty.