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← Possible Distraction Patsys

George Zinn — the "Shoot Me" Man

George Hodgson Zinn, 71, was the first person taken into custody after Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. He is the clearest documented example of a figure who drew attention away from the search for the actual shooter — by his own admission, according to police.

What is documented​

  • Detained at the scene. Officers took Zinn into custody in the chaotic minutes after the shooting. According to the Utah County Sheriff's Office, Zinn shouted words to the effect of "I shot him, now shoot me" as police were trying to locate the shooter.
  • Cleared as the shooter within hours. Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason stated publicly that Zinn was taken into custody but was cleared as the shooter the same day.
  • His stated reason. Per police, when questioned Zinn admitted he made the claim to draw attention away from the real shooter. This on-the-record account is the documented basis for treating "distraction" at the scene as a real phenomenon, not just a theory.
  • Subsequent charges and guilty plea. In a separate matter, Zinn was charged after investigators reported finding child sexual abuse material on his phone. He later pleaded guilty to third-degree felony obstruction of justice and two counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor.

Open questions​

  1. Was Zinn acting alone and impulsively, or had he been told to create a diversion? Police have characterized it as his own statement; no evidence of coordination has been made public.
  2. How many minutes did his arrest occupy responders and cameras during the window when the actual shooter was leaving the area?
  3. What did his phone and communications show, beyond the material in the separate exploitation case?

Status​

Status: Alive. The obstruction-of-justice and exploitation outcomes above are court-proven via his own guilty plea and are stated as fact on that basis. Nothing on this page alleges Zinn fired any shot — authorities cleared him as the shooter.

Sources​