The Utah college where conservative leader Charlie Kirk was assassinated lacked several key public safety measures and practices that have become standard safeguards for security at events around the country, an Associated Press review has found.
Utah Valley University’s outdoor courtyard, where Kirk showed up on Sept. 10 to debate students, was surrounded by several tall buildings, leaving Kirk vulnerable. That was made all the more potent because campus police didn’t fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event. It deployed only six officers from a force that was already small for a campus its size. There were no bag checks or metal detectors.
A sniper took position on a nearby roof and killed Kirk with a single shot about 20 minutes after the event began, escaping notice from campus police.
Security at Utah Valley University will come into sharper focus in the coming months as lawmakers and the public seek answers about what could have been done differently.
“Absolutely there were security failures; it left him exposed,” said Greg Shaffer, who oversaw Kirk’s security from 2015 to 2022. “It was egregious enough that someone was able to take advantage and kill him.”
No drones monitoring rooftops
The day Kirk spoke at UVU, it was clear and sunny — the perfect weather for a drone to have had a clear view of the roofs of the surrounding buildings, including where the assassin fired a deadly shot from a bolt action rifle at Kirk from about 400 feet (122 meters) away. Security experts said rooftop sniper attacks were a clear threat.
A smaller than average police force
UVU has an enrollment of 48,000 students, though Tuminez said that includes 16,000 students who are in high school and don’t take classes on campuses. The university has 23 police officers, or one for every 1,400 on-campus students, according to a 2024 UVU report. The average public university has around one officer for every 500 students.
Safety resources didn’t match school’s growth
UVU, located between Salt Lake City suburbs and Brigham Young University in Provo, grew significantly over the years, but public safety failed to keep pace, according to former campus officials. They indicated a disconnect between administration views on security necessity and actual safety needs.
A sub-par emergency response system
At the time of the shooting, the university was without a fire marshal. An internal review revealed that two of the university’s three emergency radio channels did not meet state standards.
Implications for future security measures
In light of Kirk's assassination, there is a call for heightened scrutiny of security measures across universities, particularly as related to event planning, police staffing, and emergency protocols.
