UTAH—George Zinn, 71, was arrested on charges of obstruction of justice after falsely claiming to be the gunman in the shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10. He now also faces charges of sexual exploitation of a minor in a separate investigation. Law enforcement has not released any evidence connecting Zinn to the alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson.
Zinn created chaos in the moments following Kirk’s assassination by repeatedly telling police, “I shot him, now shoot me,” according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The incident unfolded shortly after Kirk was shot. Zinn approached a UVU police officer, yelling that he was the shooter and demanding to be shot. Despite the officer noting that Zinn was unarmed, he was placed in handcuffs due to his persistent claims and erratic behavior.
While being escorted to a police vehicle, Zinn continued to assert he was the shooter, even urging officers to “just shoot him.” However, once in custody, Zinn admitted he was not the shooter, claiming he made the false confession “to draw attention from the real shooter.”
Zinn was initially taken to a nearby hospital for an undisclosed medical condition. While hospitalized, he reportedly told an officer he was “glad” he claimed responsibility for the shooting to help the actual suspect escape.
On Monday, September 15, after his release from the hospital, Zinn was booked into Utah County Jail on a second-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice. A motion was filed the same day to hold him without bail, though it remains unclear if he has obtained legal representation.
In a separate investigation, Zinn now faces charges of sexual exploitation of a minor after FBI investigators, who interviewed him at the hospital, discovered troubling content on his phone.
According to a second jail report by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, Zinn admitted to using his phone to view child sexual abuse material after initially refusing to allow investigators to examine the device. A search of the phone revealed over 20 images of child pornography involving children as young as 5 years old, along with explicit messages about sexual acts.
Zinn has a lengthy history of legal troubles spanning three decades.
Earlier this month, he was charged with criminal trespassing in Provo Justice Court for an incident on August 22.
In 2013, Zinn made headlines when he was charged with making a threat of terrorism after sending an email to Salt Lake City Marathon organizers asking if they “needed anybody to help place bombs near the finish line,” shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing. He later pleaded guilty to a reduced class A misdemeanor charge.
In 2019, Zinn was among five protesters arrested during a violent clash at a Utah Inland Port Authority Board meeting, where he allegedly pushed other protesters after becoming upset that they were blocking a Utah Transit Authority bus.
That 2019 protest, organized by groups including Earth First!, ICE Free SLC, Civil Riot, and Utahns Against Police Brutality, was alleging public health impacts of a proposed inland port in northwest Salt Lake City.
Author: Mario Lotmore
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