On Monday, authorities arrested 71-year-old George Zinn, police said in a press release. He’s accused of staging a false confession to the shooting of conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10. As a result of this incident, Zinn has been charged with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony.
Witnesses say that after Kirk was shot, Zinn started shouting, “I shot him – now shoot me. It looked like he was attempting to accept culpability for the action. He claimed that he did this to take suspicion off of the actual shooter. As authorities continue to investigate Zinn’s motives, police say he told them that he wanted to become “a martyr” for Kirk.
Unfortunately, Zinn’s history is just as harrowing, with at least ten criminal charges or convictions in her home state of Utah over the last 30 years. In 2013, he was still under heavy charges. Federal authorities charged him with attempting to detonate explosives at the finish line of a Salt Lake City marathon. This most recent incident has understandably increased concern for his mental health and intent.
Ironically, after his rupture in the moments after the shooting, Zinn had an unknown acute medical crisis and had to be transferred to a local hospital. During questioning by officers, he expressed a twisted relief about his actions, saying he was “glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away.”
When Zinn was asked where the gun used in the shooting was, he defensively answered, “I’m not going to tell you.” His refusal raised more questions than it answered. His unwillingness to work with them reached even to his cellphone, which investigators needed to see in detail. Zinn confessed to having used the device to access child sexual abuse material. This disclosure complicates further the serious charges he now faces. He’s being charged with sexual exploitation of minors related to images discovered on his cellphone.
Zinn’s legal woes have resulted in a judge ordering him held without bail. The shooting incident and Zinn’s prior allegations have sparked widespread media attention. Cruz’s violence and the attention it continues to receive has raised new discussions about Cruz’s mental health and motivations.