In the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk's public shooting on September 10, it looked like authorities had their man. Viral footage showed an elderly gentleman being escorted from the scene with his pants around his ankles, and although some questioned how this senior citizen could be the rooftop shooter who was seen fleeing from a high vantage point, that didn't stop the internet from exploding with the news that the MAGA commentator's killer had been caught.
The problem was, 71-year-old George Zinn wasn't Charlie Kirk's shooter, nor was a 77-year-old man from Toronto who was wrongly named as the lone gunman. As the FBI released Zinn and a second suspect who'd been arrested in connection with the Utah Valley University attack, the FBI released clearer footage of the supposed assailant, while a substantial $1.15 million reward was put forward by various parties.
Now, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice. Authorities are looking to file capital murder charges, with Robinson appearing virtually in court today (September 16).
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It's reported that Robinson's own father turned him in, but what happened to George Zinn, and why was he filmed saying 'shoot me' as he was dragged away from the murder scene by the cops?
FOX 13 News has shared court records where Zinn has revealed why he wrongly confessed to the shooting. Known as a 'gadfly' (an irritating fly that bites livestock), Zinn was heard yelling, "I shot him, now shoot me." The unarmed man was taken into custody, but apparently, he confessed because he wanted to lead police away from the 'real' killer.
The outlet explains how Zinn admitted that he didn't kill Kirk during a police interview, but instead he wanted "to draw attention from the real shooter. Other seemingly strange statements include Zinn saying he "wanted to be a martyr for the person who was shot."
It's said that Zinn took up valuable police time and resources, and him now being charged with a second-degree felony for obstruction of justice.
This isn't Zinn's first brush with the law, as The Salt Lake Tribune describes him as an "occasionally ubiquitous activist." Zinn's rap sheet includes having the honor of being the first person thrown out of the City Creek Center mall in 2012, being arrested for trespassing at a Sundance Film Festival Q&A, and spending a year in jail after he threatened to place bombs at the Salt Lake City Marathon finish line in 2013.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill reiterated: "Almost every political event you can think of, there was always George somewhere in the background, listening."
Saying that Zinn lives up to the annoyance of his gadfly moniker, Gill concluded: "He’s a person who can be odd, and has those kinds of sometimes odd behavior challenges. But by and large, he’s more of a gadfly than anything else.”
While authorities look into a potential extended network and whether Robinson was helped by anyone, it looks like Zinn has no connection to the accused.