A Utah man seen being led away in handcuffs after Charlie Kirk’s assassination has been charged after police say he distracted authorities in the minutes after the shooting by falsely claiming he was the perpetrator. 

George Zinn, 71, sparked confusion in the moments after gunshots rang out on Utah Valley University’s campus last week when police said he approached an officer and yelled, “I shot him, now shoot me,” according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fox News.

Zinn was also hit with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after he let authorities search his phone and told them that he uses his phone to view child sex abuse material, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said.

Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah, prior to the assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

Nearly 33 hours after the shooting, police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with Kirk’s death. He is set to appear in court on Tuesday to face charges. 

Upon being taken into custody, authorities performed a search of Zinn’s phone, which allegedly revealed images of child pornography, according to police. Zinn was subsequently taken into custody and booked into the Utah County Jail on four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of obstruction of justice, according to authorities. 

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate an attorney for Zinn.