The known “gadfly” that was seen hauled away from the scene after the assassination of Charlie Kirk reportedly claimed responsibility “to draw attention from the real shooter.”
At the same time, tragedy unfolded as the 31-year-old Christian, husband and father, was fatally struck by an assassin’s bullet, chaos and confusion took over the campus of Utah Valley University. On top of the panic, matters were made worse by George Zinn, a fixture at area political events, who authorities arrested for Obstruction of Justice after he purposefully pointed the finger of guilt at himself.
According to a report from Fox 13 News Salt Lake City, the 71-year-old Zinn, whose arrest went viral while the real suspect fled the scene and triggered a manhunt, approached an officer and claimed, “I shot him, now shoot me.”
The message “shoot me” was heard repeated in videos of the man circulating on social media as he allegedly went on to admit that he’d only claimed responsibility “to draw attention from the real shooter.”
It was also reported that during his transport to the hospital, Zinn had claimed he “wanted to be a martyr for the person who was shot.”
“I shot him, now shoot me” – George Zinn
There were too many people in that audience who wanted Charlie Kirk dead, including this political agitator and nut job.
Make no mistake, in the aftermath of a shooting, especially one in a venue like this, there is mass chaos. LE did a… pic.twitter.com/Hej7jHC5R5
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) September 16, 2025
Speaking with the Salt Lake Tribune after Kirk’s assassination, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill remarked that the man showed up at “almost every political event you can think of, there was always George somewhere in the background, listening.”
“He’s a person who can be odd, and has those kinds of sometimes odd behavior challenges, but by and large, he’s more of a gadfly than anything else,” he went on while, according to the report, the DA contended Zinn was “politically conservative, leaning libertarian, and would ‘give me a hard time for being a Dem.'”
Among prior incidents, the man was charged in 2013 with threatening to place bombs at the finish line of the Salt Lake City Marathon and, according to KSL, had also been arrested for investigation of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse after a protest against the Utah Inland Port Authority had become violent.
Booked into the Utah County Jail and facing a second-degree felony, Zinn’s behavior wasn’t the only concerning activity warranting investigation following the assassination of Kirk, as the FBI was reportedly looking into a series of social media posts from leftists that appeared to have had possible foreknowledge of the plot against Turning Point USA’s founder.
Multiple messages, all of which have since been deleted, not only suggested that something ominous would occur on September 10th, but one went as far as to contend “itd be funny if someone like charlie kirk got shot on september 10th LMAO,” a week prior to the tragedy.
According to Washington Free Beacon reporter Aaron Sibarium, “The FBI is investigating social media posts by at least seven different accounts that appeared to indicate foreknowledge of the assassination of Charlie Kirk,” as authorities also looked into the suspect’s own online messages.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- ‘Hackiest hack’ Jim Acosta fears ‘partisan hacks’ will take over CNN as a result of merger - March 21, 2026
- USPS mail carrier in NYC suburb captured on video violently shoving 4-year-old Jewish boy - March 21, 2026
- Luxury brand facing scrutiny over failed Erika Kirk smear job by staffer who leaked purchase history - March 21, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.