Kirk family blames Utah officials for fatal shooting

Charlie Kirk’s family has taken the first formal step toward a possible wrongful death lawsuit, accusing Utah officials and Utah Valley University leaders of making “reckless decisions” that left the conservative activist exposed to a rooftop sniper during a campus event last year.

Attorneys for Kirk’s family announced a wrongful death notice Wednesday, alleging that failures by university and state officials contributed to Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk, 31, was shot while debating students in an outdoor courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem, where about 3,000 people had gathered. The fatal shot was fired from more than 400 feet away, according to the notice.

The document, dated Sept. 9, one day before the anniversary of Kirk’s death, is required under Utah law before the family can file a formal claim or lawsuit. It names Utah Valley University and its then-president, Astrid Tuminez; the campus police department and its chief, Jeffrey Long; and the state of Utah. The notice does not specify what damages Kirk’s family may seek.

Kirk family attorney D. Loren Washburn wrote that the university failed to take basic security steps before hosting the event in a courtyard surrounded by tall buildings. “The risk of a rooftop shooter should have been especially top-of-mind given the attempted assassination of President Trump, Charlie Kirk’s close friend and political ally, by a rooftop shooter the previous year,” Washburn wrote.

An Associated Press review after the shooting found that the campus did not use several public safety practices that have become standard safeguards at large events. Campus police staffing was far below recommended levels for a school of that size. Officials did not fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event. There were no bag checks or metal detectors.

The notice also alleges that officials failed to conduct an adequate risk assessment before approving the event, did not establish a secure perimeter and had no first responders immediately available. After Kirk was shot, he was taken to a nearby hospital in a private vehicle rather than an ambulance.

“Tragically, the UVU Parties took none of these safety measures — steps only they had the authority to take — resulting in a situation that rendered Mr. Kirk helpless before his assassin,” Washburn wrote.

Utah Valley University said it was aware of the notice. “UVU addresses legal matters consistent with our established processes. Our focus remains on supporting our campus community,” the university said in a statement to CBS News. The Utah Attorney General’s Office said it does not comment on potential litigation.

Long said after the shooting that six campus officers staffed the event and coordinated with Kirk’s eight-person private security team. The university said after the shooting that it was expanding its police force.

Utah resident Tyler Robinson turned himself in the day after Kirk was killed. He is charged with aggravated murder, which makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors have said Robinson told his romantic partner that he “had enough of his [Kirk’s] hatred.” The state has argued that Robinson targeted Kirk because of his political beliefs and knew children were present and would witness the shooting.

A judge on Sept. 1 ordered Robinson’s case to proceed toward trial. No trial date has been set. At a preliminary hearing in July, prosecutors presented what they described as overwhelming evidence, including surveillance video placing Robinson on campus, DNA tests linking him to a rifle found near the shooting site and a handwritten note he allegedly left for his romantic partner that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it.”

Kirk’s parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, and his widow, Erika Kirk, attended the hearings. At Kirk’s memorial service, Erika Kirk said she forgave Robinson. At a December CBS News town hall, she said she had no words for the accused killer, adding that forgiveness and justice were distinct. “We serve a just God, and I rest easy in knowing that,” she said. “He’s sovereign, but he’s just. And so let the Lord handle that.”