My Thoughts on the Charlie Kirk Assasination & Law Enforcement

As one who has committed a lifetime to public safety, I am deeply saddened by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I hope the suspect is taken into custody soon. After my initial shock at seeing the video of Kirk’s murder, I wondered why no one in Kirk’s PSD close protection team or law enforcement thought to assess a possible long gun incident.

I have worked large public events and have run security teams for such events, and one of the biggest challenges is to keep security and off duty law enforcement engaged in what’s happening.  Unfortunately, many security teams operate from a perspective of “we’re here, nothing will happen.”

Just as in Butler, Pennsylvania when a shooter attempted to assassinate President Trump, the shooter was able to scale a building with a long gun, low crawl to a pre-planned shooting position, and get off several rounds as the President spoke. So too did Charlie Kirk’s murderer accomplish the same, firing only one deadly shot. The shooter then used standard E & E tactics to escape.

I think PSD teams and security directors must reassess the pre-event planning they currently engage in. Having a close protection team on the ground with the principle is critical,  however, extending perimeters and looking for line of sight shoot locations and ensuring they are covered by someone is just as critical. Whether it is law enforcement or armed security, someone must be there.