When a shot rang out and Charlie Kirk fell to the ground, police almost immediately detained George Zinn, only to later discover he was a distraction that allowed the real assassin to escape.

Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was answering students’ questions at Utah Valley University when a single shot rang out on September 10 – ultimately killing him. Video from the scene shows police arresting Zinn, age 71, moments later.

“Shortly after that shooting occurred, and while people were fleeing the area, Zinn was seen yelling that he had shot Charlie Kirk,” according to a press release from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. 

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Zinn would not speak with investigators, who brought him to the UVU Police Department. He had a “medical issue,” so responders brought him to a local hospital. 

“While at the Hospital Zinn did freely state that he was not the shooter,” the release reads. “Zinn admitted that he had yelled that he was the shooter to allow the actual suspect to flee and to hinder Law Enforcement.”

He admitted his role while speaking with agents from the FBI and the Utah State Bureau of Investigation. Officers asked to see Zinn’s phone. Zinn informed the officers that he used the phone to view child sex abuse material and “there may be some images on his phone.” 

At the time, the agents reportedly found several images on the phone with scantily-clad pre-pubescent girls. Detectives with the sheriff’s office special victims unit took over the investigation of the images on his phone.

The sheriff’s office investigators obtained a search warrant on September 15 for Zinn’s phone, according to the release. During an initial review of the phone, they found more than 20 images of children between the ages of 5 and 12, “in various stages of undress and sexual posing.” 

Zinn allegedly told detectives he got “sexual gratification” from the images.

“There were several very graphic sexual text threads in which Zinn shared the images with other parties,” the release reads.

The sheriff’s office arrested Zinn and booked him into the Utah County Jail on September 15, according to jail records.

Zinn faces second-degree felony obstruction of justice and four counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the release. Jail records also show he faces charges for theft and criminal trespass at an “institute of higher education.” 

“At this time, there is no information that George Zinn actually colluded with the shooter,” the release reads. Law enforcement is still continuing the child pornography investigation.

The Dallas Express asked officials if they could identify recipients of Zinn’s alleged child pornography, and if Zinn had prior contact with alleged assassin Tyler Robinson or his associates. The Dallas Express did not hear back in time for publication. 

Zinn was well-known as a local political “gadfly,” according to The Salt Lake Tribune. He faced previous minor arrests for blocking a roadway and trespassing. But in 2013, less than a week after the deadly Boston marathon bombing, he allegedly threatened to plant bombs at the finish line of the Salt Lake City marathon. He was sentenced to two years of probation and mental health treatment.