New Details Emerge on Man Who Fals…

New details have emerged in connection with a man who was initially taken in as a possible suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.

George Zinn, described in reports from multiple Utah-based organizations as a known presence in the area, was confirmed by the Utah Department of Public Safety on Sept. 10 to have been taken in by local officials. However, per department reps, “he was later released and charged with obstruction.”

Per a police docs-citing report from KSTU on Monday, Sept. 15, Zinn told police he “shot him,” referring to Kirk, and urged them to “shoot me.” Despite repeated claims of having been the suspect in the Utah Valley University shooting, Zinn is said to have later conceded, unprompted, that he had falsely claimed to be the shooter “to draw attention from the real shooter,” per Monday’s report.

Additional agencies later spoke with Zinn, per Monday’s report, ultimately leading to the 71-year-old, recently described by the Salt Lake County District Attorney as “more of a gadfly than anything else” in comments to the Tribune, being booked on charges including obstruction of justice and second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor. The latter, as detailed here, stemmed from local authorities taking a look at Zinn’s phone.

Complex has reached out to reps for the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Utah Valley University Police Department for comment. This story may be updated.

Utah County Attorney Jeffrey S. Gray recently announced the arrest and booking of Tyler Robinson, the actual suspect in Kirk’s shooting death. Robinson was taken in on suspicion of a trio of charges including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and felony discharge of a firearm causing seriously bodily injury. Per state law, the aggravated murder charge alone comes with the possibility of a death sentence.