PLOT TWIST: Older man initially arrested after Kirk shooting confessed why he claimed to be shooter

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From Fox13 Now: In the immediate aftermath of last week’s fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, images of a man being led away in handcuffs sparked instant confusion, with many believing that a shooting suspect had already been taken into custody.

It wasn’t until about an hour after the shooting that officials said the man, identified as George Zinn, 71, had been arrested for Obstruction of Justice, but was not implicated in the actual shooting.

New police documents obtained by FOX 13 News showed what led to Zinn’s arrest in the moments after a gunshot rang out on the Utah Valley University campus, with Zinn himself originally claiming to be the gunman.

According to police, immediately after the shooting, Zinn approached an officer and yelled, “I shot him now shoot me.” Even after the officer saw both of Zinn’s hands and did not spot a weapon, Zinn again yelled, “I shot him now shoot me,” leading to his arrest.

Video was circulating on social media of officers surrounding Zinn, who was on his hands and knees on the ground.

Finding Zinn had no weapon, officers asked Zinn where it was, and he would only say, “I am not going to tell you.”

After cops hauled him off to the police station, Zinn finally admitted that he did not shoot Kirk, but had only claimed he did in order to allow more time for the real gunman to get away.

He also declared he “wanted to be a martyr for the person who was shot.” Zinn was taken to the hospital for a “medical condition,” and later jailed on a charge of Obstruction of Justice, a second degree felony, the report explains.

Police acknowledged that, because of Zinn’s actions claiming to be the shooter, he delayed the investigation into Kirk’s death and took up valuable law enforcement resources needed for the investigation… which was his main goal, according to his confession.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Zinn is widely known by local officials for causing trouble at other events. The Tribune wrote:

Zinn is known for showing up — and occasionally disrupting or being arrested at — events ranging from political speeches to the Sundance Film Festival to various protests. He holds the distinction of being the first person thrown out by security at the swanky City Creek Center mall when it first opened in downtown Salt Lake City in March 2012.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told The Tribune on Wednesday that his office had prosecuted Zinn, whose criminal history dates back to the ’80s, numerous times.

Often, Gill said, Zinn was arrested on suspicion of trespassing. He said Zinn was politically conservative, leaning libertarian, and would “give me a hard time for being a Dem.” Zinn had a curiosity about politics and “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,” Gill said, “but by and large, he’s more of a gadfly than anything else.”

Police then arrested a second person, mistakenly believe he was the gunman, and later realized he had nothing to do with the shooting either.

News Nation reported: The Department of Public Safety identified the second individual taken into custody as Zachariah Qureshi. Qureshi, 25, is a resident of Provo and returned Latter-day Saint missionary. He attended the event as a supporter, his family says. Qureshi’s father told NewsNation affiliate KTVX that his son was “mistakenly detained” by police and that his son had absolutely no role in the assassination.

Qureshi said his family has received online harassment since Wednesday’s events. He says his family’s home address in Texas was even posted online.

READ MORE from Fox13 Now.

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