OREM, Utah (AP) — A new report on Charlie Kirk’s assassination last year says his Turning Point USA organization insisted he speak outdoors despite security concerns, while the university where he was killed didn’t properly assess dangers like the possibility of a rooftop shooter.
Those were among the key findings in an after-action report released Friday by Utah Valley University. The external, independent review assessed security procedures for the conservative firebrand’s Sept. 10, 2025, talk on the Orem campus, the university said. Investigators examined planning conversations between Turning Point and university officials, and the university’s response to the shooting.
The university did not conduct a formal security assessment, did not create a written event action plan and deferred critical decision making to Turning Point USA, the report said.
Kirk was killed by a sniper perched on a rooftop more than 400 feet (122 meters) away, authorities said. Kirk, 31, had been debating students in an outdoor courtyard surrounded by tall buildings and with several thousand people in attendance.
Earlier this month, Kirk’s family sent a wrongful death notice — a precursor to a lawsuit — to Utah officials claiming Utah Valley University officials had made a string of “reckless” decisions that resulted in Kirk’s death by leaving him vulnerable to the rooftop sniper.
According to the report released Friday, a Turning Point representative insisted at an August 2025 planning meeting that Kirk speak at a courtyard on campus because he had been there previously and the organization was familiar with the location. Some university officials expressed reservations about holding the event in an outdoor space with tall buildings around, but ultimately allowed the event to proceed.
“In our assessment, those decisions were consequential,” the report said.
The outdoor location “created significant protective operations considerations,” the report said, but the planning process failed to include a documented line-of-sight assessment, pre-event briefing or walk-through with security stakeholders. Nor was there clear coordination with the speaker’s private security team and external law enforcement partners, the report said.
Utah resident Tyler Robinson turned himself in to authorities a day after the shooting. Prosecutors say he told his romantic partner that he “had enough of his (Kirk’s) hatred.” Robinson has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, a charge that could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. A judge on Sept. 1 ordered the case to proceed toward trial. A date has not yet been set.
An Associated Press review showed the campus in Orem did not use several public safety practices that have become standard at events around the country. Campus police staffing was far below recommended levels for a school of that size. They also did not fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event attended by about 3,000 people. There were no bag checks or metal detectors.
FILE - People gaze down at the site where Charlie Kirk was shot, above which hangs an American flag, at Utah Valley University, Sept. 15, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Jesse Bedayn, File)
FILE - Women pray at a memorial outside Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, Sept. 13, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey ’s Democratic lieutenant governor has resigned after the governor demanded he step down over sexual harassment allegations and ethical lapses involving his relationships with women.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill had given Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell an ultimatum that he resign by Friday, though she lacked the power to remove him if he said no.
Sherrill announced the resignation at a news conference Friday afternoon.
“His decision will allow us to move forward with important work serving the people of our state,” she said.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s Democratic governor worked Friday to sever ties with her own lieutenant governor after he was accused of inappropriate behavior with women, giving him an ultimatum to resign by the end of the day and quickly end a scandal that threatened to be a drag on her fledgling administration.
The showdown between Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell comes weeks ahead of midterm elections that will decide who controls Congress. State Republicans have hammered Sherrill for weeks on the investigation into Caldwell, who oversees elections as New Jersey's secretary of state and also serves as acting governor in her absence.
Sherrill scheduled a news conference Friday afternoon at the State House in Trenton to address the situation. She had called for Caldwell to resign on Thursday after a law firm she hired concluded he behaved inappropriately around women.
The Democrat, who had hand-picked Caldwell for the role as her second-in-command, said his “serious, repeated violations of state policy” continued even after multiple warnings and trainings.
But Caldwell has disputed the allegations and has shown no signs he might leave office willingly. In New Jersey, a governor can’t simply fire the lieutenant governor, as the post is independently elected.
Lieutenant governors can be impeached and removed from office by the Legislature, and the governor can strip a lieutenant governor of certain duties and responsibilities, effectively sidelining them from the administration.
A Methodist pastor, Caldwell served as president of Centenary University in Hackettstown before Sherrill tapped him as her running mate last year, making him first in line to lead the state should she die, be removed from office or become incapacitated.
Republican state Sen. Kristin Corrado questioned Sherrill’s judgment over allowing Caldwell to fill in for the governor when she's away, even as his conduct was being investigated.
“New Jersey residents deserve leadership, transparency, and answers from their government,” she said Friday. “So far, we have gotten none.”
Messages left with leaders of the Democrat-led Legislature went unanswered Friday morning.
In a report dated Wednesday but released Thursday, the lawyers said Caldwell had committed several violations of state policy. It said Caldwell, 66, had made an advance toward a staff member’s friend and when he was rebuffed told the staffer, “you young women are looking for young sperm.”
The report also said Caldwell had tried to get a promotion for a state employee he was dating and brought personal guests to the opera and other ticketed events without paying for them, as required by ethics rules.
Caldwell denied any misconduct, and said in a letter included in the law firm’s report that he suspected his relationships with women were being subjected to extra scrutiny because he was a single Black man.
Caldwell’s lawyer, Thomas Calcagni, said his client “categorically denies” making the sperm statement but acknowledged that Caldwell had recommended the woman for a promotion, though he denied ordering anyone to promote her. Caldwell denied other claims, including that he gives out his business cards to women for inappropriate reasons.
Caldwell, who is Black and served for decades on the New Brunswick Board of Education, has suggested race played a role in the allegations.
In neighboring New York, a similar impasse has played out over the past year between Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and her estranged Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who launched a caustic primary challenge to unseat her only to withdraw from the race as the election neared.
Hochul is now running for reelection in November with Adrienne Adams, the former speaker of the New York City Council, as her replacement lieutenant governor nominee.
Marcelo reported from New York.
FILE - New Jersey Democratic Gov. elect Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Gov. elect Dale Caldwell celebrate during an election night party in East Brunswick, N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
FILE - New Jersey Democratic Lt. Governor elect Dale Caldwell speaks during an election night party in East Brunswick, N.J., Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
