A cascade of security failures and questionable decisions left Charlie Kirk exposed to the rooftop sniper who murdered him during a packed appearance at a Utah university, a damning new report has found.

Utah Valley University failed to carry out a formal security assessment, drew up no written action plan and overlooked the potentially deadly threat posed by surrounding rooftops before Kirk walked into an outdoor courtyard filled with thousands of people on September 10, 2025.

Despite university officials raising concerns about staging the high-profile conservative activist's appearance outside, his Turning Point USA organization insisted on using the location because Kirk had appeared there before and his team was familiar with it.

The extraordinary findings are contained in an independent after-action review released on Friday examining the planning for the event and the university's response to the assassination.

Kirk, 31, was debating students before a crowd of around 3,000 when a sniper opened fire from a rooftop more than 400 feet away.

The report paints a troubling picture of the preparations leading up to the killing, including failures to adequately consider the surrounding buildings, coordinate with outside law enforcement or establish clear responsibility for critical security decisions.

The university did not conduct a formal security assessment and failed to produce a written event action plan, according to the review.

Instead, investigators found that officials deferred crucial decisions to Turning Point USA.  

Earlier this month, Kirk's family sent a wrongful death notice, a precursor to a lawsuit, to Utah officials claiming Utah Valley University officials had made a string of 'reckless' decisions that resulted in Kirk's death by leaving him vulnerable to the rooftop sniper.

According to Friday's report, a Turning Point representative insisted at an August 2025 planning meeting that Kirk speak at a courtyard on campus because he had been there previously and the organization was familiar with the location. 

Some university officials expressed reservations about holding the event in an outdoor space with tall buildings around, but ultimately allowed the event to proceed.

'In our assessment, those decisions were consequential,' the report said.

The outdoor location 'created significant protective operations considerations,' the report said, but the planning process failed to include a documented line-of-sight assessment, pre-event briefing or walk-through with security stakeholders. 

Nor was there clear coordination with the speaker's private security team and external law enforcement partners, the report said.

'Dan Flood, TPUSA Security Supervisor, texted Chief Long advising that TPUSA security personnel had arrived on campus,' the report states. 

'Chief Long engaged in a series of text communications with Flood, to include several regarding individuals located on the Hall of Flags outdoor pedestrian walkway and the Fountain Courtyard area where a canopy would be set up where Kirk would be speaking. These text exchanges revealed the primary security focus for TPUSA was the Hall of Flags outdoor pedestrian walkway above the canopy.' 

Utah resident Tyler Robinson turned himself in to authorities a day after the shooting.

Prosecutors say he told his romantic partner that he 'had enough of his (Kirk's) hatred.' 

Robinson has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, a charge that could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

A judge on September 1 ordered the case to proceed toward trial. A date has not yet been set.

A review by the Associated Press showed the campus in Orem did not use several public safety practices that have become standard at events around the country.

Campus police staffing was far below recommended levels for a school of that size.

They also did not fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event attended by about 3,000 people. There were also no bag checks or metal detectors.