# Kirk family claims UVU ignored rooftop threat before shooting

> Legal filing alleges university knew of security risks but failed to protect the Turning Point USA founder from a rooftop shooter.
- Title: Kirk family claims UVU ignored rooftop threat before shooting
- Summary: Legal filing alleges university knew of security risks but failed to protect the Turning Point USA founder from a rooftop shooter. Charlie Kirk's family…
- Keywords: charlie kirk, utah valley university, turning point usa, wrongful death, campus shooting, tyler robinson, jeffrey long, orem, utah, rooftop security, assassination, erika kirk
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/us/charlie-kirk-family-alleges-uvu-knew-rooftop-security-risk-before-assassination-legal-filing
- Author: Michael Ruiz
- Published: 2026-09-15T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: charlie kirk, utah valley university, turning point usa, wrongful death, campus shooting, tyler robinson, jeffrey long, orem, utah, rooftop security, assassination, erika kirk
## Family files claim against UVU
Charlie Kirk's family filed a notice of claim against Utah Valley University, alleging security failures led to his wrongful death on Sept. 10, 2025.
## Trump shooting should have warned them
The filing notes the rooftop threat should have been obvious given Trump's attempted assassination by a rooftop shooter the previous year.

> The risk of a rooftop shooter should have been especially top-of-mind given the attempted assassination of President Trump
## Police chief promised rooftop security
TPUSA organizers warned UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long about rooftop access near Kirk's speaking location. Long replied, "I got you covered."

> I got you covered
## Shot from unguarded rooftop
Kirk, 31 and a father of two, was killed in the campus courtyard. A lone gunman fired from the Losee Center rooftop across the clearing.
## Murder was entirely preventable
Kirk family attorney Brett Parkinson said the murder wouldn't have happened if UVU had followed through on security promises to protect rooftops.

> His murder was entirely preventable and, in fact, would not have happened had the State of Utah and UVU followed through on their stated security promises
## Kirk faced constant death threats
As TPUSA founder and Trump ally, Kirk publicly discussed receiving death threats. "People want to murder us," he said in May 2025.

> We get death threats. People want to murder us.
## Political violence was rising
The filing references multiple Trump assassination attempts, the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, and murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
## No written security plan existed
Campus police allegedly had no written security plan and held no advance briefing, despite Kirk's high profile and known threats against him.
## Walked into a fishbowl
Kirk spoke in an outdoor quad surrounded by tall buildings. UVU could have moved the event indoors or to a more secure location.
## Only six officers for 3,000 people
Just six campus police officers were assigned to the event, which drew roughly 3,000 spectators. Chief Long's request for more was allegedly denied.
## No ambulance on standby
Planning was so deficient that first responders weren't available when Kirk was shot. He was transported to the hospital in a private vehicle, not an ambulance.
## No real-time camera monitoring
Security footage wasn't monitored in real time. After-the-fact review showed the shooter running to a "sniper's nest" on the Losee Building roof.

> If such footage had been monitored in real-time, Kirk's tragic death could have been avoided.
## Rooftop known for student access
Despite warnings, the Losee Center rooftop wasn't secured. Students were known to frequent it, leaving behind beer bottles and other trash.
## Key takeaway

Charlie Kirk's family alleges Utah Valley University ignored warnings about rooftop access and failed to implement basic security measures despite known threats.