Erika Kirk Takes Legal Step Against Utah, UVU Over Charlie Kirk’s Death

It’s been a year since Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on the Utah Valley University campus, and now, Erika Kirk and the family’s legal team moved against the state and the protection provided by UVU. Read on for more details.

A Preventable Killing

According to the claim, the incident was “entirely preventable” and occurred because of “stunning failures.” The claim goes further, alleging that there were “reckless decisions” made by school officials.

Kirk’s legal team listed a number of oversights that they say left Charlie unprotected, and according to The Federalist, UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long promised in a text to secure the roof, saying, “I got you covered.”

But allegedly, that didn’t happen. No officers were stationed on the roof, and nobody was watching the live camera feeds covering the area where the shooter later fired from.

Security Staff Shortages

Deseret News noted that the legal team claimed there were security staffing shortages, as only six security officers worked the event, which amounted to 25 percent of the department’s total force.

Other allegations are that nobody requested extra help from neighboring police departments, and that only happened after Tyler Robinson allegedly shot Kirk.

Los Angeles Times reported that “Attorneys for Kirk’s family alleged additional lapses by officials, including not conducting an adequate risk assessment before approving the event, failing to establish a secure perimeter and having no first responders immediately available.”

Vulnerable and Exposed

Lawyers argued that the oversights left Charlie Kirk openly exposed and vulnerable and the filing paves the way for a wrongful death lawsuit naming the state, UVU, and former president Astrid Tuminez as potential defendants.

Viewers React

When Brian Entin covered the story on Brian Entin Investigates on YouTube, many people chimed in with their thoughts.

Some viewers felt that a lot of the problems could be laid at the feet of Kirk’s private protection team rather than the state and campus police.

One person wrote, “Charlie had $1 million security team of I think 11 people with him.” Then they asked, “Why did they not make sure that the roofs were secure before he went on. They were there ahead of Charlie! I think this is just blaming others for the security failures.”

Another person also aimed their thoughts at the private security company, writing, “Charlie’s private security company…was ultimately responsible to double check the rooftops to make sure that the police chief had it covered before the event started. Harpole should have known that.”

A third person asked, “What about Charlie’s security team?! They were also supposed to keep him safe and they failed!”

Another poster expressed confusion about the targets of the legal action. The viewer said:

So weird. he paid millions for his OWNNNNN SECURITY!! if ur going sue and be mad at anyone it should be at his own security who by the way never got fired. just promoted.

Finally, someone raised the timing of the claim by Erika Kirk’s family, saying, “So they’re throwing someone under the bus. A year later?? Where’s the lawsuit against their own security detail?”

What Happens Next

Erika Kirk’s notice is the beginning of a legal a process that will allow for an evaluation of the claim before her team can formally file a civil lawsuit in court.

Meanwhile, criminal proceedings against Tyler Robinson, accused of shooting Charlie Kirk, continue as before with the  prosecution moving the murder case forward. Going forward, the State of Utah will review the civil allegations.

Your thoughts? Join the discussion and then come back here for more celebrity justice news and updates.