Yes, he falsely claimed to be the shooter to purposely distract law enforcement from pursuing the real assassin.
According to a report by The Daily Mail, 71-year-old George Zinn, who was handcuffed at the scene immediately following the shooting in photos and videos that quickly went viral online, intentionally interfered with police response.
Police documents now claim Zinn - who has several prior arrests for trespassing - admitted to causing a distraction to keep law enforcement away from the shooter, now alleged to be 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Zinn had repeatedly asked to see his attorney before making the confession.
He was later taken to a hospital to deal with a pre-existing medical condition and made a further disturbing admission, saying he 'wanted to be a martyr for the person who was shot.'
Zinn has a long history of being a political activist and now faces charges related to the stunt he pulled after Kirk was shot.
Zinn was released from the hospital and then taken to the Utah County Jail after being ordered by a judge Monday to be held without bail, according to Utah Political Watch.
He faces second-degree felony obstruction of justice as police believe they had to take resources away from finding the real killer to attend to Zinn.
Video posted online shows Zinn shouting, "Shoot me!" as police led him away. His distraction pulled a significant amount of police and security assets away from the search for the real shooter, who was able to scramble off a rooftop and disappear into a nearby suburb.
Zinn's presence at Kirk's assassination — along with his history of being at or near other incidents over the decades — has, of course, led to him being a part of wild theories in the last several days.
What penalty Zinn will face remains to be determined.
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