(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Utah Valley University has issued an after-action report on the Sept. 10, 2025, assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—outlining major failures by Turning Point USA security that contributed to Kirk’s death.
The report, released Friday, comes on the heels of Kirk’s family saying they intend to sue UVU. Attorneys for the family said earlier this month that Kirk’s death resulted from a string of “reckless decisions” by officials at Utah Valley University that left him exposed to a rooftop sniper, who fired a fatal shot from more than 400 feet away.
UVU’s after-action report tells a different story.
According to the report, UVU officials expressed concern about having the Sept. 10 event at the outdoor Fountain Courtyard area. “UVU officials suggested alternative locations such as the Fulton Library Quad or interior locations where access could be more effectively controlled,” the report says.
However, TPUSA “insisted on the use of the Fountain Courtyard location because Charlie Kirk had previously spoken on campus and TPUSA was familiar with that location,” the report says.
Furthermore, TPUSA security didn’t hold a pre-event briefing on the day Kirk spoke. Nor did security conduct a walkthrough or a line-of-sight assessment.
In fact, TPUSA didn’t even have a security plan going into the event, the report says.
“The absence of a written operational plan limited the opportunity to formally document planning assumptions, resource requirements, assignments, communications procedures, contingency plans, mutual aid thresholds, and real-time monitoring responsibilities,” the report says.
UVU's after-action report is pretty scathing towards TPUSA.
It says TPUSA insisted on having the event in the courtyard, despite UVU concerns.
TPUSA also apparently didn't conduct any pre-event briefing or line-of-sight assessment on the day of.
TPUSA security, including Dan… https://t.co/I2THhzjv4P pic.twitter.com/PtK6eciFbI— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 25, 2026
“It also limited UVU’s ability to create a shared written record of decisions regarding the selected outdoor venue, attendance uncertainty, protest activity, line-of-sight concerns, high-ground vulnerability, TPUSA security coordination, security-post assignments, and the role of external public safety partners.”
The report further notes that TPUSA’s security supervisor, Dan Flood, its security contractor, Brian Harpole, and its local field representative, Maycee Crofts, all apparently refused to cooperate for UVU’s investigation.
Harpole’s lack of participation posed a particular challenge to investigators because he had made public statements that directly contradicted what UVU officials said. For instance, Harpole said on a podcast that UVU insisted on the outdoor location. Harpole also said UVU was in a drone-restricted area—which, according to the report, isn’t true.
“These issues and statements contributed to [UVU investigators’] desire to speak directly with Harpole,” the report says. “It is also unclear why Harpole did not make arrangements to meet with [UVU] Chief Long immediately after he identified his concerns with the Fountain Courtyard being a ‘horrible’ location upon his arrival.”
In response to a Headline USA media inquiry, TPUSA said in an email that the after-action report “reaffirms the facts we laid out in our Notice of Claim.”
“UVU security was woefully understaffed and unprepared to manage the obvious risks associated with an event of this nature. UVU hosted this event, and in doing so, assumed responsibility for the safety of all in attendance, including Charlie. The buck stopped with UVU leadership and law enforcement,” said Brett Parkinson, counsel for the Kirk family.
“Justice for Charlie and his family requires true accountability for UVU’s fatal shortcomings that day.”
🚨NEW: TPUSA just sent me a response to the UVU after-action report.
From Brett Parkinson, counsel for the Kirk family:
"This report reaffirms the facts we laid out in our Notice of Claim: that UVU security was woefully understaffed and unprepared to manage the obvious risks… https://t.co/h4VLkSZixo pic.twitter.com/rbR5DaeILz— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 25, 2026
The after-action report was conducted by The Lake Forest Group, which is headed by former San Jose police chief Robert L. Davis.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
