University of Utah Student Arrested After Threatening to 'Kirk' Conservative Debaters and Mimicking Rifle Fire
University of Utah student Dean Stewart was arrested Jan. 12, 2026 and charged with disorderly conduct, making threats and disobeying a lawful order after, witnesses say, he verbally abused conservative students, threatened to "Kirk" them — a reference to the 2025 assassination of Charlie Kirk — and mimicked firing a rifle while standing in front of campus police. Conservative student Riley Beesley gave a first‑person account saying Stewart called them "Nazis," "fascists" and "pigs," made explicit death threats, and positioned himself before officers before they moved in to detain him.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- The University of Utah confirmed that student Dean Stewart was arrested on Jan. 12, 2026 and charged with disorderly conduct, making threats, and disobeying a lawful order; police witnessed the incident in real time.
- Conservative student Riley Beesley gave a first‑person account saying Stewart verbally abused conservative debaters with terms such as "Nazis," "fascists," and "pigs," and issued explicit death threats.
- Beesley and reporting say Stewart explicitly said he hoped they would be "Kirked," linking the threat to the 2025 assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
- According to reports, Stewart positioned himself directly in front of several campus police officers while mimicking rifle fire (making rifle‑miming gestures), after which officers moved in to detain him.
- Beesley said he had been with Charlie Kirk "mere moments" before Kirk’s killing and characterized the threat and incident as part of a broader pattern of left‑wing radicalization on campuses.
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January 22, 2026
1:00 PM
Conservative Utah student says radical left-wing classmate threatened to 'Kirk' him before campus arrest
New information:
- Detailed first‑person account from conservative student Riley Beesley describing the sequence: verbal abuse ('Nazis,' 'fascists,' 'pigs'), explicit death threats, and then rifle‑miming gestures in front of campus police.
- Specific quote that the suspect said he hoped they would be 'Kirked,' explicitly linking the threat to the 2025 assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
- Confirmation from the University of Utah that the suspect, Dean Stewart, was arrested on Jan. 12, 2026 and charged with disorderly conduct, making threats, and disobeying a lawful order, plus that police witnessed the incident in real time.
- Context that Beesley was present with Charlie Kirk 'mere moments' before Kirk’s killing and sees this as part of a broader pattern of left‑wing radicalization on campuses.
- Visual and timing detail that Stewart positioned himself directly in front of several campus police officers while gesturing as if firing a rifle before they moved in to detain him.