This article, authored by Derek VanBuskirk is republished under the Creative Commons “CC BY-NC-ND” license with permission from The Daily Caller News Foundation.
UPDATE:
? JUST IN: George Zinn, the old man arrested at Charlie Kirk’s shooting, has now been charged with possession of CHlLD P0RN
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 16, 2025
Give this guy the same punishment as Kirk’s ACTUAL kiIIer
He’s already been charged with FELONY obstruction after he admitted to staging a distraction to… pic.twitter.com/wFdNUUUmMp
A man allegedly told law enforcement at the scene of Charlie Kirk’s assassination that he was the shooter, but police documents claim he falsely confessed to distract from the real gunman, according to Fox 13.
In the chaos after Charlie Kirk’s assassination at a Utah university Wednesday, videos showed an elderly man being handcuffed and escorted from the crime scene as witnesses shouted.
The scene sparked speculation that the 71-year-old, George Zinn, was the shooter. However, Zinn allegedly told police he was not the gunman and that he initially confessed “to draw attention from the real shooter,” according to a Monday report from Salt Lake City’s Fox 13, citing police documents.
Zinn allegedly approached a police officer immediately following the shooting and yelled, “I shot him now shoot me,” the outlet reported, referencing the same documents.
The officer searched for a weapon and asked him where it was, but Zinn allegedly responded that he would not say, according to the local Fox affiliate.
Zinn allegedly continued to shout at the officer to “just shoot him,” Fox 13 reported.
Once Zinn was taken to the police department, he requested an attorney and claimed he was not responsible for shooting Kirk, according to the report.
Zinn allegedly confessed he made those initial claims at the scene to “draw attention from the real shooter” and later added that he “wanted to be a martyr for the person who was shot,” Fox 13 reported.
Police said Zinn’s alleged claims delayed the investigation and diverted critical law enforcement resources, according to the outlet.
Against all law enforcement recommendations, we demanded the video footage and enhanced stills of the suspect be released to the public.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 13, 2025
Robinson’s father, who ultimately turned him in to authorities, told law enforcement that he recognized his son in that released video. pic.twitter.com/nCwEso3vth
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel previously announced that “the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” following the attack.
Patel retracted the statement roughly a hour and 40 minutes later, noting that “the subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement,” and the bureau would continue its investigation.
Thirty-three hours after Kirk’s murder, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was arrested for allegedly assassinating Charlie Kirk.
No connection has been found between Robinson and Zinn, the latter who was charged with a second-degree felony of obstruction of justice, according to Fox 13.
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Any relation to Howard Zinn, other than ideological?
Well that ought to earn the old perv a chare of obstruction along with the kiddie porn charge.
Oh dear. His wife left him and he hasn’t been taking his pills.
No, it’s the other way around. Dig up the rose garden to see where he left her.