PoliticsCharlie Kirk's Family Intends to Sue, Says Utah Valley University Failed to Stop Rooftop Shooter and Warns of 'Stunning Failures' Before Death
Erika Kirk is prepping to sue the school where her husband was shot.
Sept. 16 2026, Published 12:34 p.m. ET
The family of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk said that it will sue the school where he was shot for failing to stop his alleged killer, Tyler Robinson.
On September 16, TMZ reported that the Kirk family has filed a notice announcing their intent to sue, claiming Utah Valley University failed to create a secure environment, allowing for a rooftop shooter to kill the founder of Turning Point USA.
Kirks Say UVU Neglected Security Measures
Charlie was killed in September 2025.
The notice signals their intent to sue, a legal step that maintains the Kirk family's statute of limitations for eventually filing a lawsuit.
In the notice, they allege Utah Valley University "created a foreseeable danger to Charlie" by failing to follow basic security procedures before Kirk was shot at the school on September 10, 2025.
"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 reads.
Kirks Slam UVU's Campus Police Chief
The lawsuit alleges UVU officials forewent basic security measures.
The Kirk family specifically alleges that the university did not perform "meaningful risk assessment" and that they neglected to watch their security camera footage in real time, as the shooter was allegedly recorded setting up before he took his shot.
They also say the campus police chief, Jeffrey Long, told Turning Point that roof access was "covered."
"The risk of a rooftop shooter should have been especially top-of-mind given the attempted assassination of President [Donald] Trump, Charlie Kirk's close friend and political ally, by a rooftop shooter the previous year," they added, referring to the attempt on Trump's life in Butler, Penn., in 2024.
- Charlie Kirk's Widow Erika Demands Speedy Trial and Accuses Suspected Shooter Tyler Robinson's Team of 'Causing Undue Delay'
- Charlie Kirk's Suspected Assassin Tyler Robinson Was 'on a Mission' to 'Take Out' Right-Wing Activist, Handwritten Letter to His Lover Reveals
- Erika Kirk Says Vandalism of Charlie Kirk Statue Will Only Spread His Legacy Farther
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Kirk's Killer Faces Death Penalty
Tyler Robinson plead not guilty in the case.
As the Kirk family prepares to sue Utah Valley University, Robinson is getting set to stand trial for Kirk's murder.
On September 1, District Judge Tony Graf Jr. ruled that Robinson will be tried for the killing. Robinson infamously eluded police and FBI capture for days following the killing of Kirk, and was only caught after he turned himself in.
Robinson, 23, pleaded not guilty to the killing. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case. Robinson's next court date is October 23.
Erika and the Kirk Family Stand to Benefit from the Lawsuit
Erika Kirk and her children would benefit from the suit.
Erika Kirk, Charlie's widow, has emerged as a celebrity in the wake of her husband's death.
She will likely be the plaintiff in the case, along with her two children and potentially Charlie's parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk.
Brett Parkinson, co-founder of law firm Parkinson Benson Potter, who is handling the lawsuit, said: “[Charlie's] 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.”
