North Dakota Man Gets Five Years For Running Over And Killing Teen With His Car Over Concerns He Was A ‘Republican Extremist’
Brandt claimed in a 911 call that he had felt threatened by Ellingson over the teen’s alleged connection to a “Republican extremist group” and was urging others to attack Brandt after a political argument, according to the call.
“He was threatening me with something to have to do with — something with an extremist Republican group. And then he made a phone call. He made a phone call saying, ‘I thought he was Republican (background noise) or something. You’re going have to come here and handle him.’ I got scared to death. I didn’t know what to do,” a transcript of Brandt’s 911 call says.
Brandt said that he accidentally hit the teen while trying to get away from him during a crowded event in McHenry.
An autopsy report said that Ellingson’s fatal “injuries weren’t caused from being struck by Shannon Brandt’s vehicle and were caused by being run over” once he was on the ground.
Authorities initially charged Brandt with criminal vehicular homicide, but Forster County State’s Attorney Kara Brinster later upgraded those charges to murder, according to Fox News. The charges were later reduced to manslaughter, to which Brandt pleaded guilty on May 18.
