Charlie Kirk’s family says police were warned about nearby rooftop before his killing, but police chief allegedly said ‘I got you covered’

The family of Charlie Kirk has officially filed a notice of claim, signaling their intent to sue the security teams involved in the event where the Turning Point USA founder lost his life. This legal move comes after the incident at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot while speaking to a crowd of three thousand students. 

As reported by VT, according to the family, the tragedy was entirely avoidable. Their spokesperson, Brett Parkinson, claimed, “Charlie Kirk was violently and publicly assassinated while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU).” 

He added, “His murder was entirely preventable and, in fact, would not have happened had the State of Utah and UVU followed through on their stated security promises, which included protecting the rooftops surrounding the quad where Charlie was speaking.”

The police chief reportedly gave them a simple assurance

The family claims they reached out to authorities multiple times to flag the danger posed by a nearby rooftop. They even provided evidence of a text exchange they had with Police Chief Jeffrey Long. A member of the TPUSA team reportedly messaged the Chief, saying, “Hello Chief Long – we received this message today from the student group…. ‘there is student roof access pretty close to where [Charlie Kirk] will be set up at Utah Valley’.” The family alleges that the Chief replied with the simple assurance, “I got you covered.”

The criminal investigation into the shooting has revealed that the shooter was positioned on the rooftop of the Losee Center, roughly 415 feet away from the stage. Despite the known risk of such elevated positions, especially following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in 2024, the family argues that the security measures were woefully inadequate. 

Only six campus officers were reportedly assigned to manage the event, which drew a massive crowd of three thousand people. Beyond the lack of personnel, the family has accused the UVU Police of failing to hold a security briefing before the event began.

They also pointed to a failure to monitor CCTV footage in real time, which they believe could have changed the outcome of the day. The notice of claim states, “If such footage had been monitored in real-time, Kirk’s tragic death could have been avoided.” The family feels these failures not only cost them their loved one but also deprived them of a husband, father, son, and brother.

As for the legal proceedings against the accused shooter, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. He has entered a plea of not guilty. A judge has already ruled that prosecutors are permitted to seek the death penalty when the trial moves forward.