A well-known political activist falsely claimed responsibility for the shooting of Charlie Kirk during the conservative commentator’s event, telling police he only did it to “draw attention away from the real shooter.”
According to Fox 13 Utah, 71-year-old George Zinn, long regarded as a political “gadfly,” was taken into custody at Utah Valley University shortly after Kirk’s killing last Wednesday. Witnesses say Zinn approached officers and shouted, “I shot him, now shoot me!” He was unarmed at the time and was quickly arrested.
During questioning, Zinn admitted that he had not killed Kirk. Instead, he said he wanted to cause a distraction to divert attention from the actual gunman. Court documents also reveal that Zinn described himself as wanting to be a “martyr for the victim.” He was later transported to a hospital for medical treatment.
Police confirmed that his false confession delayed the investigation at a critical stage, costing them valuable time and resources. Zinn now faces a second-degree felony charge for obstruction of justice.
Video taken during the chaos at Utah Valley University shows officers dragging Zinn away as he screamed, “Shoot me!” Confusion spread among bystanders, with one officer admitting, “He said he shot him, but I don’t know,” which led many in the crowd to mistakenly believe Zinn was the killer.
Zinn is notorious in his community for disruptive behavior at political gatherings. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told the Salt Lake Tribune: “Almost every political event you can think of, George was there somewhere in the background. He can act oddly at times, but more as a gadfly than a real threat.” Gill also noted Zinn’s prior arrests, including trespassing at protests, film festivals, and political meetings. In 2013, Zinn spent a year in jail for making bomb threats against the Salt Lake City Marathon.
So far, authorities say there is no evidence linking Zinn to Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk.
Robinson, who was captured after 33 hours on the run, is being held under “special watch” in jail pending a mental health evaluation. His father identified him from FBI surveillance images released during the manhunt and persuaded him to surrender. According to sources, Robinson threatened to kill himself before his father convinced him otherwise, with the help of a local preacher the family knew.
Utah Gov. Brian Cox told ABC News on Sunday that Robinson has refused to cooperate with investigators, though his family and his romantic partner—a man in the process of transitioning to female—are assisting police. Cox added that those close to Robinson described him as “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.”
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed new evidence tying Robinson directly to the crime. Patel revealed text messages in which Robinson told a friend he had the chance to “take out Charlie Kirk” and was determined to go through with it. Investigators also confirmed that Robinson’s DNA was found on a screwdriver left on the roof of Utah Valley University and on a towel wrapped around the weapon used in the attack.