A man from North Dakota is being charged on several counts after a hit-and-run that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old male.
The suspect allegedly told deputies that he struck the victim with his automobile as a result of a political dispute between the two.
In McHenry, North Dakota, an alleyway was the scene of a hit-and-run, which prompted the call for Foster County deputies. Cayler Ellingson, an 18-year-old Grace City resident, was killed in the collision.
According to court records, Shannon Brandt, age 41, contacted 911 at 2:35 a.m. He called the police on Sunday to report hitting a pedestrian because he was threatening him. According to Brandt, the pedestrian belonged to a Republican extreme organization, and he was concerned that they were “going to get him,” according to State Radio.
He said Ellingson was a member of a “Republican extremist group” who had sought to impose his comrades on Brandt in his statement to the dispatcher.
Brandt allegedly acknowledged leaving the collision site at first, returning to make a 911 call, and then leaving once again before officers could arrive.
According to documents filed, Ellingson contacted his mother just before the collision and inquired as to whether she was familiar with Brandt. She said “yes” and informed her kid that she would be picking him up soon.
That evening, Ellingson had just finished going to a street dance. He had contacted his mother, Sheri Larson Ellingson, to beg her to pick him up, according to a GoFundMe site set up to gather money for her son’s burial costs. Before she could get there, Cayler was dead.
According to the criminal complaint, Ellingson contacted his mother again a short while later to report that “he” or “they” were pursuing him. The 18-year-old could not be reached again after the second call.
Later, the hospital announced that Ellingson had passed away.
In addition to drunk driving, Brandt is accused of criminal vehicular murder. According to court documents, a judge set bail at $50,000.