An expert security consultant who had met with Charlie Kirk months before the University of Utah shooting said he warned the activist that his life was “100% in danger.” Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed at a speaking event on September 10.
Kris Herzog, owner of The Bodyguard Group of Beverly Hills, told Kirk bluntly in March that without dramatically improved safety measures—including ballistic glass panels, metal detectors within 700 feet, and protection against snipers—the risk was deadly.
The warning was based on Kirk’s open speaking style and minimal bodyguard presence, which Herzog and his team assessed as dangerously insufficient. Unfortunately, Kirk never took the expert’s advice to heart by making changes to his security.
At Utah Valley University, witnesses spoke of scant security controls, allowing the shooter to take the fatal shot. Herzog’s prediction now stands as a grim reminder of vulnerabilities faced by public figures.
As the nation mourns Kirk’s death, the incident has intensified conversations about protecting controversial speakers amid rising political violence.
