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An independent report says Turning Point USA pressed for an outdoor Charlie Kirk event despite security concerns. It found Utah Valley University failed to assess key risks and coordinate protection properly.
Orem,Sep 26, 2026 00:24 IST
A new report on the assassination of Charlie Kirk last year says his organisation, Turning Point USA, insisted that he speak outdoors despite security concerns, while Utah Valley University failed to properly assess risks, including the possibility of a rooftop shooter, before the event at which he was killed.
The after-action report, released on Friday by the university, said the campus did not carry out a formal security assessment, prepare a written event action plan or retain critical decision-making, instead deferring key calls to Turning Point USA ahead of Kirk's September 10, 2025 talk.
Utah Valley University said the external independent review examined security procedures for Kirk's appearance on its Orem campus, including planning conversations between Turning Point and university officials, as well as the university's response to the shooting.
According to the report, a Turning Point representative said at an August 2025 planning meeting that Kirk should speak in a campus courtyard because he had appeared there before and the organisation was familiar with the location. Some university officials expressed reservations about holding the event in an outdoor space surrounded by tall buildings, but the event was allowed to go ahead. "In our assessment, those decisions were consequential," the report said.
The report said the outdoor location "created significant protective operations considerations", but the planning process did not include a documented line-of-sight assessment, a pre-event briefing or a walk-through with security stakeholders. It also said there was no clear coordination with the speaker's private security team and external law enforcement partners.
Overall, the review found that the choice of venue, the lack of formal security planning and gaps in coordination were central to the circumstances surrounding Kirk's September 2025 campus event and the university's response to the shooting.
With PTI Inputs
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