Millions all over the world are still reeling from the brutal assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk back in September, and new details continue to emerge about what went wrong on that fateful day.
As Fox News reports, Brian Harpole, who served as Kirk’s security director, has stepped forward to reveal that despite multiple expressions of concern from his team about rooftop vulnerability and staffing gaps at Utah Valley University, local authorities provided assurances -- since revealed to have been tragically incorrect -- that the situation was “covered.”
It was during an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show that Harpole went into detail about mistakes made during Kirk’s tour stop at the Orem, Utah campus.
A former law enforcement officer himself and the founder of a private firm known as Integrity Security Solutions, Harpole recounted the issues he and his team raised, particularly concerning rooftop vantage points near where Kirk was slated to speak.
Harpole recalled, “We were told the roof was covered. The chief said, ‘I got you covered.’”
To his lasting regret, Harpole explained, “I took him at his word.”
Noting that in many ways, his hands were tied in terms of alleviating the risks he observed that day, Harpole added, “We can’t break the law to do what needs to be done, so we relied on the police, and no one was up there.”
Many of Harpole’s concerns about the Orem campus set-up stemmed from other Turning Point USA events that had been deemed high-risk.
“We’ve seen it before,” he explained, referencing scenarios in which there were “people climbing fences, our exit routes compromised.”
Harpole added, “We told them this one was open air, surrounded by elevated ground. We needed more eyes, more coverage. But we were told it would be handled.”
Despite bringing extra security staff to assist with the event, law enforcement jurisdictional restrictions meant that Harpole’s team could only operate within the 30 meters that surrounded the spot where Kirk was to speak, and his plan to operate drones was thwarted by FAA and university rules.
It also emerged that assistance from the Orem Police Department was never sought by the university, despite the existence of a mutual-aid agreement, with Harpole observing, “This was a textbook example of what happens when lines of authority aren’t clear. We couldn’t act outside our jurisdiction, and the people who could didn’t.”
Tyler Robinson, the man accused of firing the shot that killed Kirk, remains in custody ahead of trial, with a preliminary hearing now set for January 2026, as the Deseret News reports.
Since Robinson's surrender to police, attorneys have been arguing matters ranging from whether he can wear civilian clothing in court to potential modification of a gag order in the case. Still, one thing is clear, namely, that the eyes of the nation will be watching once the proceedings finally get underway.
