System Failures and Selective Justice: Highland Park's Warning for the Charlie Kirk Investigation
As federal authorities investigate the Kirk assassination, a previous mass shooting reveals troubling patterns in how accountability is assigned
The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, has prompted a federal investigation into 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who confessed to his father and was arrested September 12. As this investigation unfolds, the 2022 Highland Park shooting offers a cautionary precedent about how political considerations and institutional protection can influence prosecutorial decisions.
In Highland Park, documented government system failures that enabled the tragedy resulted in administrative rule changes, while the shooter's father—who followed legal procedures—received criminal prosecution. Early patterns in the Kirk case suggest similar dynamics may be emerging.
Highland Park: Documented System Failures vs. Individual Prosecution
The Government Failures
September 5, 2019: Highland Park Police filed a "clear and present danger" report with Illinois State Police regarding Robert Crimo III, documenting threats to "kill everyone" and confiscating 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword.
December 2019: Illinois State Police approved Crimo III's Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card application, sponsored by his father. ISP later stated there was "insufficient basis" to deny the application under their existing rules.
July 4, 2022: Crimo III opened fire at Highland Park's Fourth of July parade, killing seven people and wounding dozens using legally purchased firearms.
The System's Admission of Failure
July 18, 2022: Illinois State Police filed emergency rule changes acknowledging their system was fundamentally flawed. According to ISP's own documentation:
Rule Change #1: "Allows for the use and maintenance of historic clear and present danger information even if the subject was not actively seeking or holding a FOID card at the time a Clear and Present Danger report was made."
Translation: ISP admitted they had been discarding crucial safety warnings if someone wasn't actively applying for a gun license at that exact moment.
Rule Change #2: Removed requirements that danger be "impending," "imminent," "substantial," or "significant."
Translation: ISP's standards for evaluating threats were so restrictive that obvious dangers were being ignored.
Rule Change #3: Made approximately 5,700 additional historical records available for future evaluations.
ISP's Official Statement: Illinois State Police acknowledged that "administrative rules have unnecessarily limited and complicated the ability of the Illinois State Police to consider Clear and Present Danger information over time."
The Prosecution Decision
Criminal Charges Filed: Robert Crimo Jr. was prosecuted for reckless conduct in sponsoring his son's FOID application, resulting in a 60-day jail sentence.
System Failures: System failures must receive thorough public examination and accountability measures appropriate to government entities, not just swept away after the scapegoating.
Political Context
2019 Mayoral Race: Robert Crimo Jr. had run for mayor of Highland Park against incumbent Nancy Rotering, a prominent gun control advocate who implemented the city's assault weapons ban.
Post-Tragedy Platform: Mayor Rotering leveraged the Highland Park shooting to testify before Congress, meet with President Biden, and become a national spokesperson for gun control legislation.
Current Parallels in the Kirk Investigation
Security and System Questions
Campus Security Deployment: Utah Valley University deployed six police officers for a 3,000-person event featuring a controversial political figure known to generate opposition.
Reconnaissance Failure: Robinson arrived on campus at 8:29 AM, changed clothes, conducted reconnaissance, accessed a rooftop position, and remained undetected until the 12:23 PM shooting.
No Institutional Accountability Discussion: As of September 14, no public examination has occurred regarding security planning, threat assessment, or institutional failures that enabled the attack.
The Scapegoating Pattern Emerges
Individual Focus Over System Analysis: Media coverage has shifted toward Robinson's personal relationships and "radicalization" rather than examining security failures.
Roommate Scrutiny: Media outlets have begun focusing on Robinson's transgender roommate, with The Week publishing a headline asking "Did Tyler Robinson's trans roommate Lance Twigg coax him into shooting Charlie Kirk?"
Institutional Protection: Security officials who planned and executed protection for Kirk have faced no public accountability measures or criminal investigation suggestions.
Political Pressures
Competing Narratives: Political figures across the spectrum are using Kirk's assassination to support existing policy positions—some emphasizing "Democratic rhetoric," others focusing on online extremism.
Utah Political Dynamics: Governor Spencer Cox faces pressure to demonstrate swift justice while protecting state institutional reputation.
Federal Considerations: The FBI and other federal agencies have institutional interests in focusing on individual rather than systemic accountability.
Critical Questions
Institutional Accountability Standards
Security Planning: Did Utah Valley University conduct adequate threat assessment before hosting a speaker known to generate strong opposition?
Resource Allocation: Was six-officer deployment sufficient for a 3,000-person event featuring a polarizing political figure?
Detection Capabilities: How did Robinson conduct hours of reconnaissance and positioning without detection by campus security systems?
Comparative Standards: If individuals face scrutiny for potential "enabling" roles, will security officials face equal scrutiny for failing to detect and prevent the attack?
Highland Park Precedent Concerns
Scapegoating Risk: Will the focus on Robinson's roommate serve to deflect attention from institutional failures, similar to how Highland Park focused on the father rather than system breakdowns?
Administrative Accountability: Will security failures result only in public policy changes?
Political Influence: Are prosecutorial decisions being influenced by political pressure to support particular narratives about the assassination's causes?
Lessons from Highland Park's Failures
What Went Wrong
Government Accountability Deficit: Officials who operated demonstrably failed systems faced administrative consequences while seven people died, dozens were wounded, an entire community was traumatized, and the father who trusted those systems faced criminal prosecution.
Political Considerations: The prosecution of Crimo Jr. served multiple political purposes for officials seeking to deflect blame from institutional failures while elevating Mayor Rotering to a national platform and positioning her for potential higher elected office.
Selective Standards: Different accountability standards applied to government officials versus private citizens involved in the same tragedy.
Warning Signs in the Kirk Case
Early Scapegoating: Focus on Robinson's personal relationships rather than security system analysis.
Institutional Protection: Absence of public accountability discussions regarding security failures.
Political Narratives: Use of the assassination to advance existing policy positions rather than examine system breakdowns.
Requirements for Equal Justice
Consistent Accountability Standards
Security officials who planned Kirk's protection must face the same level of public scrutiny and accountability measures as any individuals alleged to have "enabled" Robinson's actions.
Institutional Transparency
Any security protocol changes must be publicly announced and explained, unlike Illinois State Police's quiet administrative rule changes that admitted system failures.
Political Independence
Prosecutorial decisions must be based on evidence and legal standards rather than political convenience or institutional protection needs.
The Stakes for American Justice
The Kirk assassination investigation represents a critical test of whether American justice can apply consistent standards regardless of institutional position or political utility.
Long-term Implications: How this case is handled will influence whether government officials can escape accountability for enabling violence by finding convenient individual scapegoats.
Conclusion
The Highland Park shooting demonstrated how political considerations, liability concerns, and institutional protection can distort accountability after mass violence. Illinois State Police emergency rule changes filed just 14 days after the tragedy represented an official admission that their system was fundamentally broken—yet no officials faced criminal consequences while the father who trusted that system was prosecuted.
The Kirk investigation offers an opportunity to demonstrate that lessons have been learned. But early patterns—focus on individual "radicalization" rather than security failures, scapegoating of personal relationships, absence of institutional accountability discussions—suggest Highland Park's troubling precedent may be repeating.
True justice for both Highland Park and Kirk requires accountability standards that apply equally to government officials and private citizens. The victims of both tragedies deserve better than a system that protects institutional failures while criminalizing individual reliance on government processes.
The question facing the Kirk investigation: Will it mark a return to equal justice, or will Highland Park's precedent of selective accountability become the standard for how America responds to political violence?
Illinois State Police Sources:
https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.25196.html (ISP emergency rule change announcement)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-state-police-file-emergency-rule-change-to-close-foid-card-loophole (July 18, 2022)
Highland Park Coverage:
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/isp-files-emergency-rule-change-to-use-of-clear-and-present-danger-reports-after-highland-park-shooting/2884377/ (NBC Chicago investigation)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-highland-park-state-police-clear-and-present-danger-20220718-neix2atxlfeqvgb6pwq4f5nrmm-story.html (Chicago Tribune)
Charlie Kirk Case Coverage:
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/charlie-kirk-shot-utah-death-09-11-25 (CNN live updates)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/visual-timeline-charlie-kirk-shooting-unfolded/story?id=125478526 (ABC News timeline)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-charlie-kirk-shooting-tyler-robinson-rcna230504 (NBC News profile)
Official Government Sources:
Utah Governor press conferences (September 11-12, 2025)
FBI press releases and video footage
Illinois State Police FOID information: https://isp.illinois.gov/Foid/Foid