Kirk family's legal notice blames Utah officials for 'stunning failures' before his killing
Lawyers for the family of Charlie Kirk have filed a legal notice accusing Utah Valley University and state officials of "stunning failures and reckless decisions" that they say led to the killing of the conservative activist at a campus event.
Kirk, 31, was speaking to a crowd of thousands at the university in September 2025 when he was shot dead by a gunman positioned on a roof. He was the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group.
The notice, filed on 9 September — a day before the first anniversary of his death — is typically a precursor to a lawsuit. It names Utah Valley University (UVU), local police, the state of Utah and other university officials as parties who, the family says, were aware of threats against Kirk and did not take adequate steps to protect him.
"Through a series of stunning failures and reckless decisions, the UVU Parties created a foreseeable danger to Charlie," the notice alleges.
It argues that placing "a politically controversial figure like Charlie Kirk in an outdoor event in the quad surrounded by tall buildings and other elevated observation platforms is accurately described as walking him into a fishbowl".
The family alleges the university failed to carry out a meaningful security assessment before the event, did not assign enough police officers, and had no ambulance available on site. It also says the university ignored warnings about securing the rooftops surrounding the courtyard where Kirk was speaking.
In the filing, 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 United States President Donald Trump by a rooftop gunman the previous year. The notice describes Trump as a close friend and political ally of Kirk.
UVU said it was aware of the notice but did not comment further on the allegations. "UVU addresses legal matters consistent with our established processes," the university said in a statement to CBS News, the BBC's US partner. "Our focus remains on supporting our campus community."
The notice sets out allegations that have not been tested in court, and no finding of wrongdoing has been made against any party. A notice of claim is a formal step that generally precedes a civil suit; no lawsuit has been filed so far.
Tyler Robinson, a 23-year-old man from Utah accused of shooting Kirk from a roof, is due to appear in court next month, when a trial date is expected to be set. He denies aggravated murder — a capital offence in the state — as well as six other charges. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. Under US law, he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
The case has drawn wider attention to how security is planned for public events featuring politically prominent speakers on university campuses. In the United States, such arrangements are usually drawn up jointly by campus police, local law enforcement and the organiser of the event, and are reviewed in the light of any known threats.
The university has not said whether it will contest the claims. The family's legal team has not indicated when, or whether, it will move from a notice to a formal lawsuit.
