A man detained moments after the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA executive director Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University (UVU) has been arrested on allegations of attempting to mislead police by falsely confessing to the crime.
George Zinn, 71, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. State authorities said he was also booked on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, discovered on his mobile phone. Zinn was arrested after being discharged from hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for a medical condition.
According to court documents filed by UVU campus police, Zinn began shouting, “I shot him, now shoot me,” in the immediate aftermath of the killing on 10 September. Video footage showing officers restraining him circulated widely online, prompting speculation that the suspect in the killing of the prominent conservative activist had been swiftly apprehended.
When questioned about the location of the firearm used in the shooting, Zinn allegedly refused to answer. Police say he later admitted he was not the gunman and did not know the identity of the killer, claiming he had acted to divert attention from the real suspect in the hope of becoming “a martyr” for Kirk.
Zinn was subsequently taken to hospital, where he reportedly told officers he was “glad” to have claimed responsibility so that the actual perpetrator could escape.
In a separate report, sheriff’s deputies stated that Zinn was reluctant to allow investigators access to his phone, allegedly admitting that he used it to view child sexual abuse material. A search of the device is said to have uncovered more than 20 indecent images of children, some believed to be as young as five, along with explicit messages describing sexual acts.
Police confirmed that Zinn now faces charges of obstruction of justice in connection with the events following Kirk’s killing, as well as sexual exploitation of a minor.
On Friday, following a two-day manhunt, officers arrested the man they believe to be Kirk’s actual killer. He has been named as Tyler Robinson, 22, of Washington County, Utah, approximately 260 miles south of UVU.
Zinn has a criminal history in Utah spanning three decades. In 2013, he was arrested after allegedly offering to help organisers of the Salt Lake City marathon “set up bombs” at the finish line, just days after the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds.
The Salt Lake Tribune, citing a district attorney’s office that had previously prosecuted him, reported that Zinn was “politically conservative, leaning libertarian”.
A judge on Monday ordered Zinn to be held without bail. Robinson is due to appear in court on Tuesday to face formal murder charges.
