WASHINGTON (AP) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, long an advocate for civility, made an impassioned plea on Friday for Americans and young people in particular to use the horror of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s public assassination as an inflection point to turn the country away from political violence and division.

“This is our moment: Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox told a news conference in Utah as he announced authorities had a suspect in Kirk’s killing in custody . “It’s a choice.”

Throughout his political career, Cox, a two-term Republican governor, has issued pleas for bipartisan cooperation and at times drawn national attention for his empathetic remarks .

His speech on Friday was his most emotional and prominent example yet, as he urged an appeal to common ground

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