Who is the Creep Claiming to be the Killer Immediately After Charlie Kirk Assassination?

Do you remember the strange case of this older man? His name is George Hodgson Zinn, and he claimed to be the shooter in the Charlie Kirk assassination.

After the shooting, Zinn created a public scene: he loudly announced that he was the shooter, drawing major media and police attention.

He behaved erratically—reportedly shouting and even taking off his clothing at one point to heighten the distraction.

Zinn was quickly detained by police.

During questioning, he admitted he had not actually been involved in the shooting but hoped his stunt would give the real perpetrator time to evade capture.

His actions caused confusion among first responders, temporarily derailing the early investigation and prompting headlines about his bizarre behavior.

Following the Kirk incident, Zinn was charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Investigators discovered images of child sexual abuse on his phone during the investigation.

Zinn admitted to investigators that he used his device to view and share such material. Authorities found over 20 illegal images in his possession. The images featured victims between 5 and 12 years old.

This arrest led to speculation. People believed his incarceration was intended to prevent media interviews. It also aimed to stop deeper investigation regarding his involvement in the Charlie Kirk shooting.

George Zinn, right, shares a moment with former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, second from left, at Hughes’ 2020 announcement of his run for governor.

Some news commentators have questioned the bizarre coincidences. They doubted the official story. Even Joe Rogan suggested that something about the case “does not make sense.”

It may involve a cover-up or misdirection. It is especially strange given how tied Zinn has been to major events in the past.

Zinn was involved in another major event, the Salt Lake City Marathon Bomb Threat in 2013. During this event, Zinn jokingly emailed a threat to marathon organizers. He referenced the Boston Marathon bombing and offered to help plant bombs at the Utah event. He was convicted of making a terroristic threat and served a year in jail.

In 2019, a downtown Salt Lake City protest against the Utah Inland Port Authority turned violent. Zinn was one of five people arrested and was taken to jail.

Zinn, then 65, was arrested for investigation of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse. The other four people taken to jail were activists less than half his age.

In 2003, Zinn was a spectator at a Colorado court hearing for Kobe Bryant when the NBA star faced a sexual assault charge.

Zinn is also infamous in Salt Lake City for other recurring appearances. He frequently disrupts public meetings, protests, town halls, political rallies, and film festivals. These disruptions have been occurring since the 1980s.