FILE - Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason confirmed a suspect named George Zinn was in custody shortly after the shooting but was later released. Video captured a man believed to be Zinn being taken into custody shortly a …
Another man who claimed to be the person who shot Charlie Kirk has been arrested and charged, law enforcement said.
George Zinn is charged with obstruction of justice and four counts of possessing child sex abuse material, according to a news release from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
What happened?
On Sept. 10, Zinn was attending Kirk’s event at Utah Valley University.
After Kirk was shot, "Zinn was seen yelling that he had shot" Kirk, police said.
Police took Zinn into custody and was not being cooperative with investigators. He was later transported to the hospital after experiencing "a medical issue."
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UPDATE: Charlie Kirk shooter NOT in custody
Early reports of a shooting of political commentator Charlie Kirk suggested the suspected shooter was in custody, however and update suggests the shooter has not been caught.
Video shared on social media showed law enforcement taking a man believed to be Zinn into custody shortly after the shooting.
The video showed a man wearing a blue button-up shirt and his pants around his ankles.
It was later confirmed by Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason that Zinn was not the shooter and that a manhunt was underway.
Dig deeper:
Zinn eventually agreed to speak with investigators while at the hospital and admitted to lying about being the gunman "to allow the actual suspect to flee and to hinder" law enforcement.
During the interview, investigators asked to look at Zinn’s phone, to which he agreed. Zinn also allegedly admitted to looking at child sex abuse material and said there may be some images depicting it on his phone.
Investigators found several images of "prepubescent girls scantily dressed," the news release said.
After obtaining search warrants for Zinn’s phone, over 20 images of children running from 5 to 12 years old in various stages of undress and sexual poses were discovered.
Zinn allegedly told investigators that he got "sexual gratification from viewing and sharing" the images with others and that he preferred victims who were between the 5 and 12 age range.
No evidence of collusion
There is no evidence that ties Zinn with Tyler Robinson, the man accused of shooting and killing Kirk.
Charlie Kirk shooting
The backstory:
Authorities said Robinson climbed onto a rooftop during Kirk’s appearance at Utah Valley University and opened fire, killing the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA before fleeing and triggering a 33-hour manhunt.
He was later arrested near his hometown in southern Utah and charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
Prosecutors announced on Sept. 16 they would be filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Robinson.
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators recovered a destroyed note in which Robinson wrote he had "an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk" and planned to follow through.
Patel also said Robinson’s DNA was found on a rifle wrapped in a towel and on a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News that Robinson’s friends and relatives described him as becoming increasingly political in the months leading up to the shooting.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from a Sept. 16 Utah County Sheriff’s Office news release and previous reporting by FOX Local. This story was reported from San Jose.