Warning: May contain descriptions that some people find disturbing
A 77-year-old man from Toronto was shocked to learn he was going viral for all the wrong reasons, with footage supposedly showing his arrest at the scene of Charlie Kirk's murder being spread across X.
The 31-year-old political commentator was known for his controversial views on Russia, Palestine, gun control, and more, continuing to make waves on his American Comeback Tour.
Despite over 1,000 signatures on a petition calling for Utah Valley University to cancel Kirk's September 10 appearance, the event went ahead with a crowd of at least 3,000 listening to him debate others. A single shot supposedly rang out from a rooftop vantage point, hitting Kirk in the neck and leading to graphic scenes involving 'fountains' of blood. Eyewitnesses report seeing the moment, with one stating Kirk was 'dead on impact'.
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Still, it took hours for President Donald Trump to confirm Kirk's death, which led to an outpouring of support from the likes of Elon Musk and MCU star Chris Pratt.
A multiagency manhunt for the shooter quickly ensued, and although two arrests were made, both have now been released. Viral footage shows an older gentleman being led away, with him incorrectly being identified as Michael Mallinson.
Speaking to NBC, eyewitness Justin Hickens said: "I kind of turned around, and all of a sudden I saw officers walking with this very elderly gentleman with white hair.
“They had him arrested, they had him on his knees, and he was screaming about his rights and all that stuff. They cuffed him and put him away."
In reality, Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason told reporters that the man arrested was 71-year-old George Zinn. Mason reiterated that while Zinn was initially detained amid allegations he could be the shooter, he was released due to not matching descriptions of the perpetrator. Instead, Zinn was booked on a charge of obstruction of justice.
Zinn was seen being taken away with his pants around his ankles, and in further footage, he can be heard shouting, "Shoot me." Onlookers are clearly confused, although someone behind the camera states, "We don't know if it's him or not."
The Salt Lake Tribune says that Zinn is known to authorities, explaining, "Many Utahns recognized him as occasionally ubiquitous activist George Zinn." Zinn apparently has a long history of disturbing (and being arrested at) events ranging from political rallies to the Sundance Film Festival to various protests.
As for Mallinson, the case of mistaken identity has been perpetuated by multiple sources, including the X account @ShadowofEzra, which wrongly identified the man as Mallinson. Speaking to the New York Times, Mallinson said his daughter phoned him to say he was going viral as Kirk's killer, and it wasn't long before he was receiving messages on social media. After scrubbing himself from the internet, the former banker admitted: "I’m just shocked by it. How quickly it can happen, how one’s name and photo can get spread around quite quickly."
With a second suspect also being released from custody, there are fears that the FBI could soon lose the trail of Kirk's killer as things start to go cold.