Utah Man Sentenced to Up to 15 Years in Kirk Shooting Aftermath

A Utah judge sentenced 71-year-old George Zinn to up to 15 years in prison on Thursday after he pleaded no contest to a third-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice and guilty to two counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges stem from Zinn's actions in the chaotic aftermath of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking to students when he was struck by a single gunshot and killed. In the immediate confusion two minutes later, Zinn approached a University police detective and shouted, "I shot him, now shoot me." As officers demanded to know the location of the weapon, Zinn repeated the false claim and refused to provide details, according to police reports and a plea agreement. Authorities quickly determined Zinn was unarmed and had no involvement in the shooting, but his outbursts diverted the attention of multiple law enforcement officers from securing the scene and pursuing the actual suspect.

Zinn was arrested at the event and taken to the Utah Valley University Police Department for questioning. During the interview,...