The individual who attempted to distract the authorities right after the shooting of Charlie Kirk is facing several charges, including possessing child pornography.
George Zinn, a 71-year-old man from Salt Lake City, was charged on Tuesday with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his phone. He had initially been arrested for obstruction of justice in connection with the assassination, which took place at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Court documents showed that Zinn admitted to FBI agents that he is “sexually aroused” by children, according to TMZ. He said he uses his phone to view child pornography. Investigators found more than 20 sexually inappropriate images of children, some as young as five years old. He had also sent explicit messages about sexual acts involving minors.
Zinn has a lengthy history of attending and disrupting political events in the state. He admitted to shouting “I shot him, now shoot me!” after the shooting to distract the authorities from the real killer, KSL reported.
He is also facing charges for obstruction of justice for trying to help the assassin.
Video footage that circulated on social media shortly after the shooting showed Zinn shouting before being apprehended by nearby officers, who escorted him from the scene. In the early moments after the reports about the shooting, many believed he was the actual shooter until the authorities announced that they were still looking for the culprit.
After law enforcement took Zinn into custody, he continued claiming he was the one who shot Kirk. While he was at the hospital, he allegedly told officers that “he was glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away,” according to an affidavit.
NEW: The 71-year-old audience member who was arrested at Charlie Kirk’s UVU event says he told cops he shot Kirk to distract police so the real shooter could escape.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 16, 2025
“I shot him, now shoot me,” George Zinn allegedly said immediately after Kirk was shot.
While speaking to… pic.twitter.com/2JiwWXKgR3
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Zinn had many run-ins with the law over political events. He was known for his disruptive behavior, which often led to arrests. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said he “was arrested on suspicion of trespassing” on multiple occasions, and described him as “more of a gadfly than anything else.”
Zinn faced charges in 2013 for threatening to place bombs at the Salt Lake City Marathon. He took a plea deal and served jail time and probation. In January this year, he was arrested for trespassing after he tried to force his way into a Sundance Film Festival event. In May, he was arested again for “pedestrian in roadway” after he refused to step out of the street. “George stated he didn’t care if the vehicles waited all day,” Gill told reporters.
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