On Friday, September 25, Utah Valley University released an independent review that says the university skipped key safety steps before Charlie Kirk’s assassination, leaving basic protections undone.
Story Highlights
- The review, released Sept. 25, cites missing security assessment and event action plan.
- Investigators say Utah Valley University deferred critical planning to Turning Point USA.
- The report flags rooftop line-of-sight risk that was not properly addressed.
- The review finds no employee acted in bad faith, while urging clear fixes.
Independent Review Finds Missed Planning and Weak Execution
Utah Valley University released an outside review that details security failures at the September 2025 event where Charlie Kirk was killed. The report says the university did not complete a formal security assessment or a written event action plan. Those are basic tools used to map risks, assign roles, and set backups if things go wrong. The reviewers say these steps were missing, and several established safety measures were not fully carried out on the day of the event.
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Investigators from an external team examined campus policies, staff actions, and event choices. The findings say university staff deferred important planning decisions to Turning Point USA, which hosted the event. Those decisions included the outdoor location and crowd management features. The review links those calls to weaker control of the venue and harder sightlines for security. That split in authority made it tougher to set one clear chain of command when minutes mattered.
Rooftop Visibility and Outdoor Venue Risks Cited
The report highlights a rooftop line-of-sight threat that was not addressed with strong countermeasures. Outdoor venues often increase risk because perimeters spread wide and high points can overlook the crowd. The review says Utah Valley University did not properly assess dangers like the chance of a rooftop shooter or set enough measures to reduce that risk. Security experts have long warned that outdoor events need layered defenses to handle these exposures.
Coverage of the review also notes that event-day staffing and exact roles have been described differently across outlets, so specific numbers remain unclear in public summaries. Even so, the core findings focus less on headcounts and more on planning gaps and coordination failures. Without a written plan and a shared risk picture, even a large team can work at cross purposes. The result is slower response, weaker coverage, and confusion about who can make calls under stress.
No Bad Faith Found, But Clear Fixes Urged
The review states no employee or agent of Utah Valley University acted in bad faith or with willful and wanton disregard for safety. At the same time, it calls for stronger implementation of policies, clearer roles, and tighter coordination across university units and event partners. Utah Valley University framed the document as a corrective roadmap. Leaders said the goal is to build consistent practice so that policies on paper also work in the field during high-pressure events.
Why this matters goes beyond one campus. Colleges across the country host charged speakers and big crowds. When roles blur, gaps form, and preventable risks slip through. The review’s core lesson is simple and hard: do the risk assessment in writing, set a plan everyone knows, and keep final authority with trained security leaders. Many readers on the left and right see this as more proof that institutions can talk about safety, yet fail to deliver when it counts.
Sources:
heraldextra.com, abcnews.com, axios.com, abc4.com
