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Utah Valley University Should Have Prevented Charlie Kirk Assassination, Widow Alleges in Legal Filing
Charlie Kirk’s family has prepared the way for a lawsuit against UVU, the state of Utah, and others involved in campus security.
Utah Valley University failed to take adequate steps to prevent the assassination of Charlie Kirk during his visit to campus last year, Kirk’s widow alleged in a legal filing notifying officials that she’s preparing to file suit against the university, the state of Utah, and other individuals responsible for campus security.
Kirk was shot and killed while addressing students at UVU on September 10, 2025. Campus security footage shows an individual, believed to be 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, using a staircase to access a roof facing the area where Kirk was speaking just after noon that day. Other security footage shows him crossing the roof, lying down near the edge, then running away.
Lawyers representing Kirk’s widow, Erika, filed the legal document last week, ahead of the anniversary of his assassination, in order to preserve her right to file suit.
“Through a series of stunning failures and reckless decisions, the UVU Parties created a foreseeable danger to Charlie. Those decisions ultimately rendered Mr. Kirk helpless to the rooftop shooter,” the filing reads.
The document includes messages sent to UVU Chief of Police Jeffrey Long about concerns about rooftop access during the event. “If [there is a roof nearby], it would be nice to either have it controlled access or allow one of my guys to be there as well,” a TPUSA official wrote to Long. “If possible.”
According to the filing, Long told the TPUSA official, “I got you covered.”
Kirk’s lawyers also allege that if campus surveillance cameras had been monitored in real time, law enforcement could have known of the shooter before he got to the roof.
The day of Kirk’s campus appearance, six officers were on duty, which is about a quarter of the full force.
“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, which included protecting the rooftops surrounding the quad where Charlie was speaking,” legal counsel for Kirk’s family, Brett Parkinson, said in a statement. “Those failures not only robbed Charlie Kirk of his life, but also robbed his family of their husband, father, son, and brother, with impacts that will compound for the rest of their lives.”
Robinson, the man accused of killing Kirk, pleaded not guilty on all seven of his charges on September 1. Utah District Judge Tony Graf ruled that the case will proceed to a criminal trial.