An FBI agent looks near Utah Valley University where evidence was collected as authorities investigate the shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 11, 2025 in Orem, Utah. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
The revelation underscores an unprecedented challenge confronting law enforcement as they work to protect political rallies on college campuses and in communities nationwide.
"The campus has limited security. They don't have an unlimited budget for this. They had six officers out there, which for any college campus security force, that's not an insubstantial number of officers. But they also had 3,000 people at this event," Kempfer said.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
Wednesday's event, the first in what was supposed to be a series Turning Point USA's "American Comeback Tour," was nothing out of the ordinary. Kirk, the charismatic founder of the nation’s conservative youth activist group, gained recognition for his signature political debates on college campuses.
In addition to local security, Kirk, who spoke outdoors, was flanked by his personal security detail.
An infographic showing multiple points of interest following the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. (Kadri Suat Celik/Anadolu/Getty Images)
"The hardest thing to do is anticipate where the threat comes from and what threats there are. I would argue that in an open air setting like this, a rifle attack is probably the most difficult thing to stop," Balboni added in an interview on Fox News 5.
Kaplan said that the gunmen also thought through how to evade law enforcement after taking the fatal shot.
WHAT IS A BOLT ACTION RIFLE? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE GUN USED TO KILL CHARLIE KIRK
Kempfer noted that the gun recovered by authorities on Thursday was a bolt-action rifle, a common hunting weapon valued for its durability and reliability. Unlike semi-automatic weapons, he explained, a bolt-action rifle often retains the spent cartridge in the chamber rather than ejecting it, leaving no shell casings—or "brass"—for investigators to collect.
"That's just one of those things where you, if you've thought it through, you know that you can't leave any forensic evidence for investigators to work with," he said.
During a press conference on Friday, authorities announced they had Tyler Robinson in custody after he was turned into law enforcement by his own family. Robinson was identified following a series of videos and photos released by the FBI.
The FBI released two photos on Thursday of a new person of interest in the murder of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. (FBI Salt Lake City)
In a photo released on Thursday, the individual authorities were looking for was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and an American flag T-shirt with an eagle on it.
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Amanda covers the intersection of business and geopolitics for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scrutiny-intensifies-over-security-lapses-surrounding-charlie-kirk-shooting