Plans estimated 600 people would come to the event where Charlie Kirk was shot. Over 3,000 showed up

When officials at Utah Valley University approved the plans for Charlie Kirk's appearance at the school on Sept. 10 as part of his "American Comeback" tour, they expected roughly 600 people would be there, according to newly released records.

In reality, police said more than five times as many people showed up to the event where Kirk was assassinated and the records show that event planners didn't think emergency medical services would be necessary.

"We had probably over 3,000 people who were in attendance," UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long told reporters at a press conference shortly after the incident, noting that they had six officers working at the event and Kirk had his own security team.

Kirk, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder and prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed while he was speaking near a "Prove Me Wrong" tent on campus in Orem, roughly 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Police later arrested alleged shooter Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old who is due back in court in January.

"As part of the planning process, good planners will build into their plan contingencies for these types of anticipated events and a larger than anticipated crowd would be one of those," said John Cohen, an ABC News contributor and former Department of Homeland Security official.

'There is talk about which outdoor space to use'

In the time since Kirk’s killing, public safety at the event has come under the microscope.

Now, documents released by Utah Valley University in response to a request filed by ABC News are shining new light on the planning process, showing that initially, the expected "head count" was 200 people before that number was increased to 600.

"This event will be marketed to students. Minors or the general public may see this event and want to attend, but overall, we will be promoting it to students only," a partially redacted questionnaire stated.

Kirk's planned appearance was promoted nationally on Turning Point USA's Facebook pages on Aug. 27. The posts did not specify whether the event was open only to UVU students or the general public.

Utah Valley University declined to comment regarding ABC News’ questions about the documents. The university said in a prepared statement that campus police officers play a vital role in university security and that the school is about to issue a request for proposals as part of an independent review into Kirk’s assassination that will ultimately be made public.

"Officers protect students, employees, visitors, and property, and take a proactive approach to crime prevention, education, and community engagement," the statement noted in part. "UVU is currently in the process of hiring eight additional police officers. UVU is also hiring two new security managers to provide additional oversight and support for campus events."

The questionnaire noted that Kirk would be speaking and that "Students will have the opportunity to go up to the mic and ask him questions while others listen and spectate."

Kirk, whose controversial views frequently made headlines, previously stated that he and his family would receive death threats "all the time."

In a statement to ABC News, a Turning Point USA official said, "On an online form submitted in early July, a TPUSA UVU chapter member selected "200+" as the max attendance option available on the school's online form. An estimate of 600 was later provided a few weeks later via an event request form, which was based on a similar event the year prior at the University of Utah. Subsequent conversations between school officials and TPUSA's Safety Team updated that estimate to 1,500 - 2,000 based on more recent Prove Me Wrong campus events. The events are un-ticketed and open to the public, including those just walking by, but PD and event coordinators estimated the attendance at approximately 3,000."

"You can plan and plan and plan, but you better factor into your plan that the situation is going to evolve when the event begins," Cohen said.

The files also show that weeks ahead of Kirk's visit to UVU, there was discussion about the potential impact of the number of attendees on the event venue and the possibility of protests on campus.

While the tour stop was slated to take place in the Sorensen Student Center courtyard and ultimately ended up occurring there, someone with a UVU email address whose name was redacted by the school suggested that the event be held elsewhere on campus.

"Also- we think that the FL Quad would be better space wise for the group, if they get a large crowd in the area," the sender wrote on Aug. 21, apparently referring to the Fulton Library quad across campus.

The recipient of the message's name was also redacted by UVU.

"There is talk about which outdoor space to use," UVU's Major Event Assessment Committee, which reviews proposals for all large functions on campus, stated in its event approval meeting notes. "The FL Quad is being considered."

"There are concerns [a]bout protests," the notes added. "Clubs said they are prepared for them."

Long, UVU's police chief, later described the location where the shooting took place as a "bowl area" surrounded by buildings. The shooter is believed to have fired from a distance from the top of a nearby building.

"You try to get your bases covered and unfortunately today we didn't, and because of that we had this tragic incident," Long said at the time.

Event plans did not call for a first aid station

Following the shooting, video footage showed Kirk being carried by six men to an SUV, which drove him to a local hospital.

The records released by UVU to ABC News indicate that when the event was being planned, in response to the section of the questionnaire that said "Will EMS need to be scheduled for your event?" the unidentified person who filled out the form wrote, "No."

This form was not the only place where that answer appeared.

The approval meeting notes from UVU's Major Event Assessment Committee noted that while security would be needed at the event, a first aid station and additional insurance were not needed.

A Turning Point USA official told ABC News there were two UVU emergency medical personnel on site, but not an ambulance.

"TPUSA's Safety Team staffed up for the event to 12 security on site (up from usual 8-9), a team comprised of ex-military and law enforcement personnel trained and equipped with a full emergency medical kit and field dressing expertise," the official said. 

Cohen said in his experience, "any event that involves a large number of people would typically include first aid capability as part of the security planning."

Cohen said that years ago, there was often a distinction during event security planning over whether a person speaking at the event was a high-profile elected official or a private individual, but that can no longer be the case.

"There is a need for a consistent level of security planning at any high-profile public event that will be attended by a large number of people because those are the types of events that increasingly are being exploited by those seeking to engage in a targeted attack or mass casualty attack," he added.

ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.