Claims have been filed against Utah, Utah Valley University and the school’s police department by the family of assassinated activist Charlie Kirk, charging that they failed to take the steps needed that could have stopped the assassination scheme.
Kirk’s assassination, one year ago, was “entirely preventable,” according to lawyer Brett Parkinson, who is representing the family.
A report in the Washington Examiner noted filing such claims usually is a precursor to filing a lawsuit.
The assassination “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,” explained Parkinson.
“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,” Parkinson charged. “Justice and accountability under the law are key tenets of the American judicial system. This claim preserves the right of Charlie Kirk’s family to pursue accountability for Charlie’s death.”
BREAKING: Charlie Kirk’s family has filed multiple notices of claim against the state of Utah, Utah Valley University, and other officials, alleging that a number of security failures directly led to the conservative activist’s assassination one year ago.
The Kirk’s family… pic.twitter.com/bffZzHZqy2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 16, 2026
Reading through the notice of claim filed by the Kirk family against UVU that details one lapse of security after the next has been one of the hardest parts of the last few days. Campus events can be, and are, mostly very safe, but campus PD just has to do the basics.
TPUSA… https://t.co/7NkIYIpIFZ
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) September 16, 2026
School spokeswoman Sharon Turner told the Washington Examiner that the institution is aware of the Kirk family’s notice.
“UVU addresses legal matters consistent with our established processes. Our focus remains on supporting our campus community,” she said.
Shooting suspect Tyler Robinson has been ordered to stand trial on murder chages.
Fox News explained the filing cited the fact “Turning Point USA organizers told UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long that UVU students had informed them of rooftop access to the Sorenson Center, a building ‘pretty close’ to where Kirk would be speaking the day he was killed — and directly west of the Losee Center, which is where his alleged killer fired the shot from.”
TPUSA told Long, “If this is true, it would be nice to either have it controlled access or allow one of my guys to be there as well.”
Long allegedly replied, “I got you covered.”
Authorities charge that a lone gunman took a sniper’s perch on the Losee Center roof and shot and killed Kirk, 31, a father of two.
The prospective plaintiffs in the filing are Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and their two juvenile children. It also acknowledges potential claims from his parents, Robert and Kathryn. The filing does not specify monetary damages. In addition to the wrongful death claim, it also raises a claim of “state-created danger” under the U.S. Constitution, Fox reported.
The filing notes Kirk, who built TPUSA into the country’s largest conservative campus and youth-oriented activist organization, spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and was a personal friend of the president.
Because of his politics, he was threatened multiple times by leftists.
“Tragically, the UVU Parties failed to rise to the occasion,” the filing alleges. “Through a series of stunning failures and reckless decisions, the UVU Parties created a foreseeable danger to Charlie.”
