Which events did George Zinn attend and what were their purposes?
Executive summary
George Zinn has been a long‑time, often disruptive presence at a wide range of public gatherings in Utah — from mainstream political events and cultural festivals to film screenings and protests — and most recently was at the Utah Valley University event where Charlie Kirk was shot, where authorities say Zinn falsely claimed to be the shooter in an apparent attempt to distract police [1] [2] [3]. Reporting across local and national outlets portrays a pattern: attendance at political speeches and party functions, cultural events like Sundance and film promotions, and sporadic appearances at high‑profile local openings and rallies, sometimes resulting in arrests or ejections [1] [4] [5].
1. Political speeches and Republican gatherings — showing up to influence, observe, or disrupt
Zinn is repeatedly documented attending Republican and conservative political events over decades, including former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes’ 2020 campaign announcement and attempts to join Utah delegations at Republican National Conventions in 1988 and 2012, behavior described as consistent with a long‑running presence among Utah GOP circles rather than formal party officeholding [6] [1] [7]. Local coverage and profiles label him a “gadfly” who shows up to question speakers, sometimes calmly and other times provocatively; his presence at these events has at times been harmless and at other times led to confrontations or arrests, underscoring a mixed purpose that ranges from political engagement to deliberate disruption depending on the occasion [1] [6].
2. The UVU Charlie Kirk event — attended as an audience member and became central to the post‑shooting chaos
On September 10, 2025, Zinn was among attendees at Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s speaking engagement at Utah Valley University; after the shooting he approached officers and loudly claimed to be the shooter, an act law enforcement says was intended to hinder their ability to focus on the real assailant and which led to his arrest on obstruction charges [8] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets report that police found no evidence he colluded with the shooter and that Zinn later told investigators he had falsely asserted responsibility to give the real shooter a chance to escape, making this attendance both ordinary (as an audience member) and consequential (as an intentional obstruction) in purpose [2] [9].
3. Cultural events and festivals — from Sundance to concerts, often as an attention‑seeking presence
Beyond politics, Zinn has a long history of showing up at cultural events: the Sundance Film Festival, promotional movie screenings along the Wasatch Front, and concerts such as walking around Rice‑Eccles Stadium during The Rolling Stones in 1994, illustrating his pattern of appearing at high‑visibility public gatherings that are not explicitly political [1] [5]. Organizers and advertising agencies reportedly barred him from some screenings after repeated appearances, signaling that his purpose at these events was sometimes to insert himself into public moments for attention rather than for participation in normal audience roles [1].
4. Local civic events and openings — presence at civic rituals and ceremonies
Zinn has been photographed attending municipal and civic rituals, such as Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson’s 2023 “State of the County” address and the 2012 grand opening of the City Creek Center, a sign that his attendance extended into nonpartisan public ceremonies where his role was observational or social rather than organizational [1] [5]. Coverage notes instances where his participation was uneventful, indicating that not all of his purposes were confrontational; sometimes he was simply a persistent local figure present at community milestones [1] [5].
5. Protests, arrests and a pattern of disruption — a mix of civic engagement and confrontational behavior
Multiple outlets describe Zinn as known for “showing up — and occasionally disrupting or being arrested at — events ranging from political speeches to protests,” which frames his purposes variably as civic protest, watchdog activity, or deliberate provocation depending on context and intent [4] [1]. The post‑UVU investigation and subsequent charges (obstruction and unrelated child exploitation allegations reported by some outlets) intensify scrutiny of past incidents but do not, in available reporting, neatly categorize every appearance as politically motivated or criminal — many were simply public attendance that sometimes crossed lines according to event organizers and law enforcement [9] [3].
Limitations: reporting documents many specific events Zinn attended and the stated purposes in those instances, but source material does not provide a comprehensive list of every appearance or a definitive single motive for all attendances; available accounts describe a mix of motives and outcomes across years [1] [6].