Kirk's family signals intent to sue, alleges 'stunning failures' led to assassination

The notice of claim alleges Kirk was rendered "helpless" at the Utah campus.

The family of Charlie Kirk alleges in a newly obtained notice of claim that a "series of stunning failures and reckless decisions" by Utah Valley University led to the conservative activist's on-campus assassination last year.

Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. The gunman fired from the rooftop of a campus building as Kirk was speaking before a crowd of approximately 3,000 people, authorities said.

Utah Valley University was the first stop on Turning Point USA's nationwide tour of college campuses, dubbed The American Comeback Tour. The event "came against a well-known backdrop of risk," stated an emailed notice of wrongful death and survivor claims from the Kirk family's counsel dated Sept. 9 and addressed to the Utah Office of the Attorney General.

The notice, which preserves the family's statute of limitations so that they can bring a lawsuit over Kirk's death, cited high-profile incidents as recent examples of political violence -- including the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump by a rooftop sniper at a 2024 campaign rally, the 2025 murder of a Minnesota state legislator and her husband at their home and the 2022 hammer attack against Rep. Nancy Pelosi's husband.

"Through a series of stunning failures and reckless decisions, the UVU Parties created a foreseeable danger to Charlie," the notice, which ABC News obtained through the Kirk family's counsel, alleged. "Those decisions ultimately rendered Mr. Kirk helpless to the rooftop shooter in an assassination that could have been avoided had the UVU Parties only taken reasonable steps to plan and oversee a safe event, steps outlined below that have been standard practice for other universities hosting controversial speakers."

The notice alleges that the university failed to conduct a "meaningful risk assessment" before approving the outdoor location and did not dedicate enough security resources. Six campus police officers were assigned to the event, university police have said.

The notice further alleges that the university did not take steps that could have prevented Kirk's death, such as monitoring the event in real time. The notice cited surveillance footage shown during a preliminary hearing in the criminal prosecution of the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson , that showed an individual running across the roof of the Losee Center for Student Success to what one police officer called a "sniper's pad."

"If such footage had been monitored in real-time, Kirk's tragic death could have been avoided," the notice alleged.

The notice alleged that the university ignored a tip it said Turning Point USA passed along regarding the risk of rooftop access on the campus ahead of the event.