University of Utah student arrested for allegedly making threatening gestures

A University of Utah student was arrested Monday after a viral video showed him allegedly making gun gestures and threatening to shoot conservative campus speakers during a public discussion outside the school’s Marriott Library.

Dean Stewart, 21, was arrested and charged by the University of Utah Police Department with disorderly conduct, making threats and disobeying a lawful order, according to the university.

A video of the incident spread on social media showed Stewart making a gesture of shooting at speakers from Reawaken USA, a conservative organization hosted at the University of Utah.

Reawaken USA has a campus tour program similar to the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA); here speakers travel to different universities to discuss political issues.

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In the background of the video, 19-year-old Reawaken USA speaker Aden Nicholas can be heard saying, “Oh my God, did you see that?” he was heard saying.

James Owen, founder, president and CEO of Reawaken USA, told Fox News Digital that he and Nicholas were arguing with a student in front of the Marriott Library when Stewart approached them.

“He called us ‘Nazi pigs’ and started saying someone should shoot us in the neck,” Owen said. “Then he said, ‘I have to kill you.’ He started making gun gestures at us, walked into the crowd, walked out again, and then continued making gun gestures, saying, ‘I have to shoot you.’ He said, ‘Don’t get too close or I might kill you.’ He made the shotgun motion as he walked away, and that’s when the cops stood up and arrested him.”

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University officials said in a statement that Stewart “interrupted an event”, told speakers “they should be shot in the neck” and “repeatedly made hand gestures to shoot.” [them] with a rifle.”

“He said he ‘hoped we’d get shot in the neck,’ and ‘We’d get Kirk-ed,'” said Nicholas, who had never sat at a table on a college campus before.

TPUSA founder Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, while visiting Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

A University of Utah student was seen making a “shooting” gesture on campus. (Reawaken the USA)

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Police responded “very quickly,” apprehending Stewart and asking the Reawaken team if they wanted to press charges, which they agreed to, according to Owen.

Despite Monday’s incident, Reawaken USA continued its rounds on Tuesday, with Owens noting a student who stepped in during Stewart’s apparent outburst.

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“One of the students, who was extremely hostile, approached the microphone and stopped. [Stewart] before you go out to do it [the shooting motion] The second time,” Owens said. “Security heard them say, ‘Hey man, I know we disagree with these guys, but they look really good.’ ‘I don’t think you should do this.’ … The students actually reacted. If you can’t believe it [it, our topic] It was ‘The left is more violent than the right’ and they were sitting there and I think they realized they needed it.[ed] to crush it.”

The University of Utah confirmed that the person arrested in connection with the incident was a 21-year-old student. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

“While our security escorted us after the incident, [an attendee] He came up to me and said, ‘Hey James, I know you and I argued about this, but we can see where you’re right. “Will you be here tomorrow?” he continued. “I said ‘Yes’ and [Tuesday]when we arrive [back]More than 150 students came. They came right away and said, ‘James, we looked at all the statistics. ‘We can see that.’ “What can we do?” in front of me and Aden. they said. … We’re not trying to appropriate liberals. “We’re trying to bridge divisions, eliminate polarization, and bring people to the truth.”

Following Kirk’s death, Owen founded Reawaken USA with the mission to “identify, develop and engage the next generation of cultural leaders.”

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“When Charlie Kirk died, everyone saw a void,” Owen said. “I had a lot of opportunities, a lot of organizations reached out to me to sign me. … Instead of getting all the attention on a tour, I decided to do more.”

Reawaken USA partnered with a number of political influencers for the tour, including Nicholas, a recent college graduate who started working as a Congressional campaign manager at just 17 years old.

“His vision for Reawaken was something that fascinated me from the very first moment,” Nicholas said. “We recently talked on the phone about a completely unrelated topic, and at the end of the call James said: ‘You know, I really think you need to start impressing. Can you imagine yourself behind a debate table?'”

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“Especially my family members [said]’Can you promise not to go to university campuses and argue?’ “I thought it was all very ironic,” he continued. “I really enjoy discussing different policies, different cultural approaches, different political approaches, because I think that’s something we’re missing in America. “Whether you like Charlie Kirk or not, everyone agrees that he’s willing to have this conversation, and I was very excited to do it.”

Reawaken USA will make 32 stops on the campus tour, traveling to states such as Utah, California, New York and Pennsylvania.