Charlie Kirk's shooter is named Michael Mallinson?

Shortly after the murder of Republican activist Charlie Kirk, several posts about the matter began to appear on social media. One of them accused Michael Mallinson, a man in his 70s, of killing the 31-year-old. "Authorities have confirmed that Charlie Kirk's shooter is Michael Mallinson , a registered Democrat in Utah," it reads.

The news emerged at a time when there was still considerable uncertainty surrounding Charlie Kirk's death. Moments after the activist was shot, a man was detained by authorities on the campus where the activist was speaking at Utah Valley University.

The man's name was George Zinn , and he was arrested for obstruction of justice. Speculation began to surface on social media, along with photographs, that he was the shooter. However, he was released moments later.

This didn't stop many users from sharing the information. Furthermore, because George Zinn physically resembles Michael Mallinson, posts began to appear with photos of the second man claiming he was the shooter.

However, Michael Mallinson is Canadian and lives in Toronto (where he was at the time of the attack). He's a 77-year-old retired banker who was "shocked" when he learned that reports were circulating that he was the shooter.

"I was just shocked. How quickly this happened, how someone's name and photo could spread so quickly," Michael Mallinson told the New York Times , adding that he only realized what had happened after his daughter called him to inform him of the speculation on social media.

Michael Mallinson told the same newspaper that he has already reported the incident to local authorities and attempted to clean up his social media presence. He is also considering suing the individuals or websites that circulated the fake news.

Additionally, the FBI revealed last Friday that the shooter is named Tyler Robinson, is 22 years old and lives in Utah.

Conclusion

It wasn't Michael Mallinson who killed Charlie Kirk. The 77-year-old retiree is Canadian and had nothing to do with the crime. Because they looked alike, he was mistaken for another man arrested on the Utah Valley University campus, George Zinn, for obstruction of justice, who was released moments later. The FBI has now revealed that the killer is Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident.

So, according to the Observer's rating system, this content is:

WRONG

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FALSE : The content's main claims are factually inaccurate. This option typically corresponds to "false" or "mostly false" ratings on fact-checking websites.