Family signals lawsuit over Kirk death

Charlie Kirk's family filed a notice of claim alleging Utah Valley University's failures led to his on-campus assassination in September 2025.

Shot by rooftop sniper at event

Kirk was fatally shot while speaking to 3,000 people at an outdoor event. The gunman fired from a campus building rooftop.

Event came with known risks

The notice cited recent political violence, including Trump's 2024 attempted assassination by a rooftop sniper and attacks on other political figures.

University rendered Kirk helpless

The family alleges stunning failures and reckless decisions created a foreseeable danger that could have been avoided with reasonable planning.

“Through a series of stunning failures and reckless decisions, the UVU Parties created a foreseeable danger to Charlie.”

No meaningful risk assessment done

The notice alleges the university failed to assess risks before approving the outdoor location and assigned only six campus police officers.

Surveillance footage not monitored live

Video shown at a hearing captured someone running across the roof to a sniper's pad. Real-time monitoring could have prevented the death.

“If such footage had been monitored in real-time, Kirk's tragic death could have been avoided.”

Turning Point warned about roof access

The student group texted police chief Jeffrey Long about rooftop access near Kirk's location. Long replied, "I got you covered."

“I got you covered”

Shooter fired from 415 feet away

Tyler Robinson allegedly fired from the Losee Center roof, not the Sorensen Center that Turning Point had flagged as a concern.

Trump assassination should have warned them

The notice states the rooftop shooter risk should have been top-of-mind given Trump's attempted assassination by a rooftop sniper the previous year.

“The risk of a rooftop shooter should have been especially top-of-mind given the attempted assassination of President Trump”

Claim targets university and officials

Expected defendants include Utah Valley University, the state, the police department, Chief Long, and former president Astrid Tuminez.

Family seeks justice and accountability

The claim preserves the right of Kirk's wife, two young children, and estate to pursue accountability for his preventable murder.

“His murder was entirely preventable and, in fact, would not have happened had the State of Utah and UVU followed through”

Police chief admitted failure

Chief Long said he coordinated with Kirk's security team but acknowledged, "Unfortunately, today we didn't" have bases covered.

“You try to get your bases covered and, unfortunately, today we didn't. Because of that, we have this tragic incident.”

University ordered independent review

UVU announced a third-party review of the shooting to offer insights on how campuses can improve response and preparedness going forward.