• A 71-year-old man, George Zinn, falsely claimed to have shot Charlie Kirk.
• Zinn's confession aimed to mislead police and help the actual suspect escape.
• He faces charges for obstruction of justice and possession of child sex abuse material.

George Zinn, a 71-year-old man, has been arrested for falsely confessing to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Zinn approached police shortly after the shooting, proclaiming, “I shot him, now shoot me,” despite being unarmed at the time. His actions led to authorities mistakenly focusing their investigation on him, thereby allowing the real shooter, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, to evade capture, according to Indiatimes and BBC.

Police reports indicate that Zinn admitted during questioning that he shouted he was the shooter to allow the actual gunman to flee. He is now facing obstruction of justice charges as well as separate allegations involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. Authorities found over 20 images of children in inappropriate situations on Zinn's phone, raising the severity of his charges, which include four second-degree felonies, according to South China Morning Post and BBC.

The investigation revealed that shortly after Zinn’s false confession, he was arrested for possession of child sex abuse material. During an interview at a hospital, he also confessed to using his phone to view explicit materials. Officials confirmed finding several images that fit the description of child exploitation. Investigators are not connecting Zinn to Robinson, the prime suspect in Kirk’s assassination, but his actions severely complicated the investigation, according to Indiatimes, BBC, and South China Morning Post.