# Roles and Responsibilities at the Scene A plain map of **who was at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, and who was responsible for what.** Much of the online argument about the assassination turns on responsibility — *whose job was the roof? who chose the venue? why so few officers?* — so this page lays the roles side by side, sourced, before anyone assigns blame. The recurring theme, read honestly, is that the failure fell in the **seams between roles**, not in any single villain. For the individual write-ups, see the [[People Index]]; for the reasonable-doubt use of these gaps, see [[Gaps in the Investigation]] and [[Security Knew It Was Coming]]. > **Framing.** This is a **coordination-and-competence** map, not a plot map. A real security failure is exactly what a **civil suit** targets and exactly what an unsecured public event can produce; it is **not**, by itself, evidence of foreknowledge or an inside job. Keep the two separate. Every "failure" fact below is sourced to the AP investigation, official statements, or sworn testimony — not to speculation. ## The venue and the format - The event was a stop on TPUSA's **"American Comeback Tour,"** in Kirk's signature **"Prove Me Wrong"** open-debate format — a white tent reading *THE AMERICAN COMEBACK / PROVE ME WRONG*, with attendees lining up at a microphone to challenge him. - It was held **outdoors** in the **Sorensen Student Center courtyard** (a tiered outdoor amphitheater by the Hall of Flags), **un-ticketed and free**, with **no bag checks or metal detectors.** UVU planned for an **estimated 600**; roughly **3,000** came. - **Who chose the spot is itself contested.** UVU records (released under records requests) show that on **Aug. 21**, a UVU staffer (name **redacted**) suggested the **"FL Quad"** would be better *"space-wise"* for a large crowd; the courtyard was used anyway, and **the name of whoever gave final sign-off was redacted.** Reporting also indicates **Kirk/TPUSA preferred an outdoor, central location** — so the open, hard-to-defend site reflects both a **school approval** and a **client preference.** See [[Line of Sight and Shot Geometry]]. ## Charlie Kirk's organization (TPUSA) - **[[Charlie Kirk]]** — the principal; founder/CEO of Turning Point USA, on stage at the "Prove Me Wrong" table. - **[[Andrew Kolvet]]** — TPUSA **spokesman** and executive producer of *The Charlie Kirk Show*; the primary TPUSA voice in the aftermath (confirmed Kirk's death; later relayed the "absolute miracle" surgeon/coroner account). His **exact physical position** at the moment of the shot is not documented. - **The host chapter** — the **UVU Turning Point USA student chapter** filed the event request; the *Salt Lake Tribune* reported the club told UVU there would be "no controversial topics" and no EMS on request. **The individual student organizer is not named** in the public reporting. - **Event staff** — at least one staffer, **"Chrissy,"** was handing out **mints** near the stage (the gesture some online readers misread as a "signal" — see [[Security Knew It Was Coming]]). **[[Erika Kirk]]** was **not confirmed present**; the strongest indication is that she was **home** (her only firsthand account is of returning home afterward). ## The private security detail (Integrity Security Solutions) Kirk's protection was **private and TPUSA-paid** — there was no federal or Secret Service protection for a private citizen. See [[Kirks Security Detail]]. - **[[Brian Harpole]]** — founder of **Integrity Security Solutions** (dba Rockhouse Integrity Group) and **Kirk's on-ground security lead** at UVU; a former Texas police officer. He covered Kirk's body within seconds and applied pressure to the wound. - **[[Dan Flood]]** — **TPUSA's own in-house head of security** (former U.S. Marine); Harpole's close friend; helped move Kirk to the vehicle. - **Justin Davis** — detail member and a driver on 9/10. - **[[Greg Shaffer]]** — the **predecessor** who held the TPUSA contract **2015–2022** (not present on 9/10); Harpole and Flood came up through his firm. The three-way falling-out is a **business dispute**, not case evidence — but it means the two loudest security-insider voices are **adverse** to each other. - **Area of responsibility (their account):** the **close-protection "bubble," ~30 meters** around Kirk. By Harpole's account his team **legally could not** post snipers or fly drones — *"This isn't Iraq. This is Utah."* — so **rooftop overwatch was, in his telling, UVU police's job, not his.** Critics answer that a diligent detail should still have **verified** the roof. He brought **~12 guards** (up from a usual 8–9). ## UVU Police (campus jurisdiction) The campus is UVU PD's jurisdiction, which is why overwatch and the rooftops sit here in the dispute. - **[[Jeff Long]]** — **Chief of the UVU Police Department**; the command authority for the event. On the day he admitted: *"This is a police chief's nightmare… You try to get your bases covered, and, unfortunately, today, we didn't."* He is also the recipient of Harpole's disputed **"I got you covered"** text about a **student roof-access point**. - **[[Chris Bagley]]** — UVU PD officer (now Spanish Fork PD); **first Day-1 witness** at the preliminary hearing; among the first on scene, found the rooftop screwdriver and the courtyard holster. - **Deployment (AP investigation):** UVU PD put **6 of its 23 officers** on the event (some plainclothes in the crowd; one watching from an **elevated position**), **flew no drone** (clear weather; drones available for ~$2,000), ran **no bag checks**, and **did not coordinate with local agencies that had drones.** The shot came from the roof of the **[[The Rifle|Losee Center]]** — an easily accessible rooftop connected to an adjacent building by an elevated walkway separated only by a railing. - **Since:** apart from Long's day-of remarks, **UVU and its spokesperson declined to answer** detailed security questions, citing the pending review. See [[Gaps in the Investigation]]. ## Orem PD, the Sheriff, and the unused mutual aid - **Orem Police Department** has a **drone unit and SWAT** and a **mutual-aid agreement (MOU) with UVU** — but by the accounts of both Harpole and AP, **Orem was never asked** to provide event security, and its drones went unused. Officials at **Orem PD and the Utah County Sheriff's Office** (both with drones) confirmed to AP they were **not involved in event security.** - After the shot, Orem PD, the **Utah County Sheriff**, **ATF**, and nearby departments joined the campus-wide manhunt. - The significance is narrow but real: **capable overwatch resources existed minutes away and were not activated** — a coordination gap, catalogued in [[Gaps in the Investigation]], not proof of anything more. ## UVU administration - **Astrid S. Tuminez** — **UVU President**; announced a comprehensive third-party review and declined detailed security questions pending it. - **Val Peterson** — UVU **Vice President for Administration** (oversees public safety); spoke at the Sept. 11 press conference. - **The review:** UVU commissioned an **independent third-party security review** (announced Sept. 22, 2025), scheduled to run from ~January 2026 into late spring 2026 with a **public report**. As of the latest reporting, the **firm, cost, and findings are not public** — so **no official after-action report exists yet.** ## The questioner and bystanders - **[[Hunter Kozak]]** — a **UVU math/philosophy student** and progressive TikToker; the **last person to ask Kirk a question** (about transgender people and mass shootings), standing at the mic ~5–10 feet away when the shot was fired. A **civilian eyewitness**; nothing ties him to the shooting, and the "plant/distraction" theories about him are **unsupported.** - **Jason Chaffetz** — former U.S. Representative; attended with family as a guest and gave a widely-cited eyewitness account (an ally/guest, not TPUSA staff). - **The crowd** — ~3,000, including families and students; several attendees provided the **video** later used to reconstruct the timeline (e.g., **Amber (Amanda) Wright**, and a minor, **"Mr. Phillips"**). See [[How Robinson Was Identified]]. ## The investigators (after the shot) The investigation was **co-led by the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the FBI**, with the Utah County Attorney, Utah County Sheriff, local police, ATF, and the DPS State Crime Lab. See [[The Established Record]] and [[How Robinson Was Identified]]. - **Robert Bohls** — FBI **Special Agent in Charge**, Salt Lake City Field Office (announced the recovered bolt-action rifle). - **Beau Mason** — **Commissioner, Utah DPS** (spoke on tracking the shooter's movements). - **Gov. Spencer Cox** · **Kash Patel** (FBI Director) — state and national leadership. - **[[The Prosecution|Jeffrey S. Gray]]** — Utah County Attorney; charged [[Tyler Robinson]] with aggravated murder and is seeking the death penalty (Chief Deputy **Grunander** trying the case; **Ballard** as PIO/general counsel). - **State case agents / witnesses:** **[[David Hull]]** (lead case agent), **[[Jennifer Faumuina]]** (evidence-response/chain of custody), **Brian Davis** (affiant), and the FBI DNA examiner **[[Amanda Bakker]]** — see the [[2026-07-06 - Preliminary Hearing Day 1|preliminary hearing]]. ## The responsibility map — and the seams | Zone / task | Whose responsibility | What the record shows | |---|---|---| | **Kirk's body / ~30m "bubble"** | Private detail ([[Brian Harpole]], [[Dan Flood]]) | Covered by ~12 private guards; Harpole reached Kirk in seconds | | **Rooftops / overwatch** | **Disputed** — private detail says UVU PD; critics say the detail should have verified | The **Losee roof was never posted**; Harpole's *"I got you covered"* text vs. UVU's silence | | **Drones / aerial monitoring** | UVU PD (with Orem PD / Sheriff available via MOU) | **No drone flown**; Orem/Sheriff drones **never requested** | | **Crowd / access screening** | UVU PD + event staff | **No bag checks, no metal detectors**, un-ticketed | | **Venue selection** | UVU (approval) + TPUSA (preference) | Open courtyard used despite an internal **"FL Quad"** suggestion; approver **redacted** | | **Post-shot investigation** | Utah DPS + FBI (+ ATF, Sheriff, County Attorney) | Co-led; rifle recovered; Robinson charged | **The through-line:** the shot came from a rooftop that **everyone could see and no one had posted** — a gap that lived in the **seam** between a private detail confined to a 30-meter bubble, a campus force that put 6 of 23 officers on a 3,000-person event, and city/county resources that were never called. That is a genuine, sourced **failure of coordination and resourcing.** Whether it also supports any theory of **intent** is a separate question the record does **not** reach — see [[Security Knew It Was Coming]], [[The Security Detail Was Israeli]], and [[A Hypothetical Cover-Up]]. --- **Related:** [[Kirks Security Detail]] · [[Security Knew It Was Coming]] · [[Gaps in the Investigation]] · [[People Index]] · [[How Robinson Was Identified]] · [[Line of Sight and Shot Geometry]] **Sources:** [AP/Police1 — UVU had 6 officers, no drones](https://www.police1.com/event-security/utah-college-where-kirk-was-shot-did-not-use-drones-had-6-campus-officers-monitoring-event-ap-investigation) · [KUER — UVU lacked key public-safety tools](https://www.kuer.org/education/2025-09-30/utah-valley-university-where-charlie-kirk-was-shot-lacked-key-public-safety-tools) · [Salt Lake Tribune — Kirk wanted to speak outside](https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2025/09/11/kirk-wanted-speak-outside-uvu/) · [ABC News — 600 planned, 3,000 came](https://abcnews.com/US/plans-estimated-600-people-event-charlie-kirk-shot/story?id=127610821) · [FBI SLC — SAC Bohls remarks](https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/saltlakecity/news/remarks-delivered-by-special-agent-in-charge-robert-bohls-at-the-september-11-2025-press-conference-regarding-the-shooting-at-utah-valley-university) · [Utah DPS press release](https://dps.utah.gov/press-releases/updates-on-charlie-kirk-shooting-at-uvu/) · [[2025-11-17 - Brian Harpole on the Shawn Ryan Show]] · [[Sources]]