Warning: May contain descriptions that some people find disturbing
Despite it being 9/11, it seems all anyone is talking about right now is the shocking murder of Charlie Kirk. The pro-Trump, pro-Republican, MAGA commentator divided with his controversial views, but as he spoke to a 3,000-strong crowd in Utah, few could've expected to witness his brutal assassination.
The 31-year-old was shot by a single bullet, with a Utah Valley University spokeswoman saying it came from a rooftop sniper. Eyewitnesses say there were 'fountains' of blood, and despite there being some initial confusion about whether Kirk had survived the attack, one onlooker said he was 'dead on impact'.
The FBI and other agencies have quickly launched a massive manhunt, although CCTV simply shows a man dressed in 'dark' clothing. This vague description has already led to two suspects being released, including one who appears to be a Utah resident known as George Zinn.
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Footage of an older man being arrested went viral, with one clip showing him being escorted away with his pants around his ankles, and another where he shouts, 'Shoot me.' In the second video, someone reiterates that no one could be sure he was the shooter, but alongside this, it seems he's been wrongly identified.
Although Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason confirmed to reporters that Zinn had been arrested at the scene, 77-year-old Michael Mallinson was incorrectly reported as the viral man.
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Speaking to the New York Times, the former banker from Toronto explained how his daughter phoned him to tell him his name was being widely circulated online.
According to the outlet, Mallinson's name first appeared on a post from an X account called Fox 11 Reno. A spokeswoman for Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns the Fox affiliate in Nevada, says the account is “impersonating the station” and that they're trying to get it removed. Accounts like these are referred to as 'information voids', publishing unsubstantiated claims in hopes of channeling you to pages where they earn money through clicks.
The account had apparently operated under a different name and only posted in Spanish until 2024.
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With Mallinson's name out there, numerous others started linking him to the footage of Zinn and claiming 'Fox' was the source. This wasn't helped by Elon Musk's Grok, as the AI chatbot went on to repeat the false allegation under a post and wrote: "The suspect, Michael Mallinson, was apprehended at the scene."
Discussing his dismay, Mallinson said: "I’m just shocked by it. How quickly it can happen, how one’s name and photo can get spread around quite quickly.”
Mallinson has been forced to scrub his social media accounts, which he says was a difficult decision because he uses it to connect with others who suffer from a rare and painful form of arthritis that he has. He's reported the incident to local police and says he might consider suing those who carry on naming him if the abuse continues: "I would expect, because the news cycle moves so quickly, that it will blow over soon.
"But there’s always a chance that some idiots somewhere will get hold of this information a few months from now and start making noise about it."