Kirk family files claim alleging university safety failures after activist's death
The family of conservative activist Charlie Kirk submitted a wrongful-death notice accusing Utah Valley University and state officials of negligence that allowed a rooftop shooter to kill him during a campus event.
Attorneys for the family of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative activist, filed a notice of claim with Utah state officials and Utah Valley University (UVU) alleging that a series of safety lapses enabled a rooftop shooter to fire a fatal shot on Sept. 10, 2025. The filing, required under state law before a lawsuit can be pursued, names UVU’s former president, Astrid Tuminez, campus police chief Jeffrey Long, the university police department and the state of Utah.
According to the notice, the event – a public debate attended by roughly 3,000 people in an outdoor courtyard – lacked standard security measures such as adequate police staffing, drone surveillance of rooftops, bag checks, metal detectors and a coordinated perimeter with local law-enforcement agencies. The family’s attorney, D. Loren Washburn, wrote that the risk of a rooftop shooter should have been “especially top-of-mind” given a prior attempted assassination of President Donald Trump by a similar method.
UVU responded that it is aware of the claim and will handle legal matters according to its established processes, while continuing to support the campus community. The Utah Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on potential litigation.
Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson, a Utah resident who turned himself in a day after the shooting, with aggravated murder. Evidence presented at a preliminary hearing includes campus surveillance footage, DNA links to a rifle found near the scene, and a handwritten note to his partner indicating intent. Robinson faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted; a trial date has not yet been set.
Kirk’s parents and widow attended the hearings. The notice does not specify the damages the family may seek, but state law permits heirs or personal representatives to sue for wrongful death caused by negligence.