A University of Utah student has accused a left-wing activist of threatening him with violence during a campus event, criticizing universities for fostering political extremism. The student welcomed the arrest of the individual involved.

“On January 12, we were outside hosting a tabling event and engaging in debates in a format similar to those organized by groups like Turning Point USA,” Riley Beesley shared with Fox News Digital. The event was organized by Reawaken USA, a new conservative initiative that travels to college campuses to encourage open dialogue among students.

Beesley, who serves as the vice chairman of the Utah Federation of College Republicans, described the incident that unfolded during the event.

According to Beesley, the confrontation began when a liberal student approached them, hurling insults such as “Nazis,” “fascists,” and “pigs” at him and his fellow College Republicans. The situation escalated when Dean Stewart, 21, allegedly referenced the late conservative leader Charlie Kirk in a threat to shoot Beesley and others present at the table.

Then, according to Beesley, Dean Stewart, 21, invoked slain conservative leader Charlie Kirk’s name in a threat to shoot him and the others who were tabling.

“And soon after [he] declared to us, ‘you should die,’ followed by, ‘I am going to Kirk you,’ which you could only think that means I’m either using your imagination going to shoot you or kill you,” said Beesley.

“As he walked off, he positioned himself directly in front of several campus police officers where he gestured with his arms in a manner mimicking aiming a rifle at us, thrusting them enthusiastically, as I’d say, while shouting, ‘you should die’ and calling us ‘Nazi pigs,’” he continued, adding that the police watched the incident unfold.

Another student who was present for the tabling event previously told Fox News Digital that Stewart said he hoped the students got “Kirked.” 

Stewart was arrested just moments after making the shooting gestures. Both jail records and the University of Utah confirmed his arrest. He was charged with disorderly conduct, making threats and disobeying a lawful order.

Dean Stewart was arrested by University of Utah police on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Riley Beesley )

“On Monday, January 12, Dean Stewart, 21, disrupted an event and yelled at a member of Reawaken USA as he was debating in front of Marriott Library. Stewart said that he should be shot in the neck and repeatedly made hand gestures of shooting him with a rifle,” the school said. 

“So the police witnessed this in real-time, to which immediately they moved in to apprehend the individual, they detained him,” Beesley recalled.

Beesley, who was at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 when suspect Tyler Robinson allegedly shot and killed conservative titan Kirk, said that Stewart’s actions flagrantly crossed the line.

“You’re aiming a gun at somebody and acting as if you’re motioning to shoot them. It’s profoundly awful,” he said.

“Having been present at Utah Valley University on September 10th, 2025, and standing with Charlie Kirk mere moments before his assassination, it’s unsurprising that someone could be so consumed by hatred that their immediate reaction upon seeing conservatives on a college campus is to brand them ‘Nazis,’ make them feel unwelcome through threats, as we witnessed in the situation, and as this individual did, remind us of what the left is capable of, just as Tyler Robinson demonstrated to the entire world, only a short distance away from where we were now,” he continued.

The University of Utah campus seen from the top of the stadium prior to a game between the Utah Utes and TCU Horned Frogs at Rice Eccles Stadium on Oct. 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

Part of the debate at the Jan. 12 event regarded what Beesley says is a rising threat of political violence from the left.

Some of that blame should be placed at the feet of institutions of higher education, he said.

“The college universities are radicalizing young people in profoundly destructive ways,” he said. “This is really a genuine destructive harbor of hatred that resides within these individuals — that it’s almost — it’s tough to see, in cases like this a desire to really have a conversation after this.”

“I know it’s exactly what we need to be out there doing, but anytime that we go out there on our campus in Utah, is there gonna be a threat that someone is going to shoot us? Because this is exactly what we’ve seen the last two times I’ve been out there trying to debate. One, I saw Charlie Kirk murdered, and two, now I’m having somebody say that they’re gonna ‘Kirk’ me.”

A spokesperson for the University of Utah directed Fox News Digital to a page on the school’s website that explains its anti-bias policy.

Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah, prior to his assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

“We work collaboratively to care for one another and create an inclusive community where all feel a sense of safety, belonging and purpose,” the page says.

“As a place of learning, teaching and research, where intellectual curiosity and the exploration of the full spectrum of human thought and thought traditions, are fostered, we welcome all viewpoints. We encourage robust discussion, disagreement and debate.”

Stewart could not be reached for comment.