George Zinn, a 71-year-old Utah political activist who was the first person detained after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah Valley University event, told police he lied about being the shooter to distract officers so the real attacker could escape, according to court and law-enforcement records.
Police allege Zinn admitted during interviews that he falsely told officers “I shot Charlie Kirk” to draw attention away from the gunman and that he wanted to be a martyr for the person who was shot. Zinn repeatedly asked to see an attorney before making the statements, was treated at a hospital for a pre-existing medical condition, and was ordered held without bail by a judge Monday on an obstruction-of-justice charge, prosecutors said.
The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon on the Orem campus as Kirk, 31, was hosting an event organized by his group. Police initially detained Zinn moments after the shooting after witnesses reported a man had said he shot Kirk; social media and local footage showed Zinn being led away as bystanders yelled and called him a "monster," and a responding officer telling a radio dispatcher, "he said he shot him, but I don't know," according to local reporting.
Investigators later identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspected shooter and arrested him in connection with the killing after roughly 33 hours of work by local, state and federal authorities. Officials said a high-powered hunting rifle was recovered from a wooded area near the university, and FBI Director Kash Patel said DNA on a towel wrapped around the rifle matched Robinson. Investigators also linked Robinson by DNA to a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where authorities believe the fatal shot was fired.
Patel told Fox News investigators recovered the contents of a note Robinson had written before the shooting after the document had been destroyed; Patel said the note indicated Robinson believed he had an opportunity to "take out" Kirk and intended to do so. Officials said Robinson has not been cooperating with investigators. Local police credited assistance from the suspect's family in locating and arresting him.
Zinn was booked on a second-degree felony obstruction charge, with prosecutors arguing that his false claim forced officers to divert resources away from searching for the alleged shooter. Police briefly reversed a notice saying they had a suspect in custody as the investigation continued.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, who told the Salt Lake Tribune his office has prosecuted Zinn on multiple occasions dating to the 1980s, described Zinn as a longtime presence at political events across Utah. "By and large, he's more of a gadfly than anything else," Gill said, adding that the county had attempted to get Zinn into mental-health court for past misdemeanor charges but that Zinn had not participated.
Zinn's record includes multiple trespassing arrests, a 2013 plea in a case alleging he threatened to plant bombs at the finish line of the Salt Lake City Marathon, and a 2019 arrest related to a protest against the Utah Inland Port Authority. Local reporting also said Zinn had been seen at a range of political gatherings, from local speeches to appearances at party events.
The investigation into the killing has drawn significant federal involvement. Authorities released photos and descriptions of a man seen leaving the scene hours after the shooting and sought public help in identifying him before the arrest. Officials said they recovered the suspected weapon in a wooded area and took forensic steps that yielded DNA links to the suspect.
Utah law provides for capital punishment in certain murder cases, a penalty former President Donald Trump has publicly supported for attacks on political figures. Prosecutors have not announced formal charging decisions for Robinson beyond the arrest report and evidence descriptions provided by law-enforcement officials.
Both local prosecutors and federal agents said the investigation remains active. Zinn remains in custody in Utah County on the obstruction charge pending further court proceedings, and the suspect arrested in the killing has not publicly commented and is not cooperating with investigators, officials said.