The elderly political activist who falsely admitted to shooting Charlie Kirk during the conservative figure’s event told investigators he only did so to “draw attention from the real shooter,” so that the real assassin could get away, according to a report.
George Zinn, a 71-year-old from Utah, was first believed to be the gunman. Police arrested Zinn just moments after Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University last week. Zinn — who has a history of trespassing arrests — told officers he caused a distraction to draw attention away from the real gunman, now identified by authorities as Tyler Robinson, 22, according to police documents.
A Different Motive
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Right after Kirk was shot, Zinn ran up to the police and shouted, “I shot him, now shoot me,” according to the report. Officers said that he was unarmed and quickly took him into custody. Before confessing, Zinn had repeatedly asked to speak with his lawyer.
He was later taken to a hospital for a pre-existing health issue, where he made an even more unsettling statement — saying he “wanted to be a martyr for the person who was shot.”
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Police say his false confession slowed down the investigation and drained resources at a crucial time.
After being released from the hospital, Zinn was booked into the Utah County Jail. On Monday, a judge ordered him to be held without bail. He’s now facing a second-degree felony charge for obstruction of justice, since officers believe his actions pulled them away from tracking down the real shooter.
Records show Zinn, a longtime activist, had been charged with trespassing as recently as August 22.
Complete Chaos
In video of the chaotic moments after the shooting at Utah Valley University, Zinn — his pants around his ankles — is seen being pulled away by officers as stunned students look on. The campus crowd watched in visible shock and some horror while he cried out, “Shoot me,” his voice cutting through the confusion and sirens.
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“He said he shot him, but I don’t know,” one officer told the crowd, as people shouted and cursed at Zinn, believing he was the gunman.
Photos of the elderly man — with his cleft chin and hands restrained — quickly spread online, leading many to think he was the one who pulled the trigger in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
Locals, however, recognized him as a familiar political “gadfly,” someone known for showing up at public events only to be escorted out. Over the years, Zinn has racked up multiple trespassing arrests at film festivals, protests, and political rallies.
“Almost every political event you can think of, there was always George somewhere in the background, listening,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told the Salt Lake Tribune.
“He’s a person who can be odd, and has those kinds of sometimes odd behavior challenges,” said Gill, who has prosecuted Zinn several times. “But by and large, he’s more of a gadfly than anything else.”
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Back in 2013, reports say Zinn threatened to bomb the Salt Lake City Marathon. He ended up serving a year behind bars for that incident.
So far, there’s no evidence that Zinn has any connection to Tyler Robinson, the suspect who was arrested last Thursday after his own father reported him to police.
Investigators are now digging into whether Robinson may have had help, looking into the possibility of an “extended network” that could have supported or sheltered the college dropout, who had been living with his transgender partner.
