Man Initially Apprehended After Kirk Shooting Acted as Decoy, Faces Child Porn Charges

A man apprehended by law enforcement immediately following the assassination of Charlie Kirk (Right bias) falsely claimed he was the shooter to hinder the police response, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

The Details: According to the sheriff’s office, George Zinn, 71, shouted, “I shot him, now shoot me.” He was taken in by Utah Valley University police and later to a local hospital after he experienced an undisclosed medical episode. While at the hospital, he reportedly claimed he acted to obstruct the police response, but police said there is nothing to indicate he acted in coordination with suspected shooter Tyler Robinson. Zinn allowed law enforcement to search his phone, where they found sexually explicit images of minors. He told investigators he “gets sexual gratification from viewing and sharing” the images, “and that his preferred victim age is five to 12 years old.” Zinn is still in custody and could face charges for obstruction of justice and sexual exploitation of a minor.

For Context: According to Utah media, Zinn has a history of criminal charges and convictions over the last three decades. Kirk was assassinated on September 10, and officials detained the suspect, Tyler Robinson, late on September 11. Officials announced Robinson was the suspect early on September 12. Robinson has reportedly not cooperated with officials so far, as speculation swirls around what his motive could have been.

How The Media Covered It: Coverage was fairly similar across the spectrum, though at times featured different details. For instance, The Guardian (Left) noted Zinn was initially reluctant to let officials search his phone, whereas Fox News (Right) and Forbes (Center) didn’t include this detail. Outlets on the right more often noted the child porn charges in headlines.

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