Holly MatkinMcHenry, ND – Police said an allegedly drunken 41-year-old man chased an 18-year-old victim down with his car after a community street dance and murdered him due to the teen’s conservative political views.
Police said the brutal attack occurred in an alley near Jones Avenue and Johnston Street at approximately 2:35 a.m. on Sept. 18, KFYR reported.
According to court documents, 18-year-od Cayler Ellingson called his mother shortly before the crash and asked her if she knew 41-year-old Shannon Brandt.
His mother said she was familiar with Brandt and told her son she was coming to pick him up, police said.
Moments later, Ellingson called his mother again and said Brandt was chasing him around the city with his vehicle, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported.
The teen’s mother was unable to reach him again after the second call, according to KFYR.
Police said Brandt ran Ellingson down with his car and hit him in an alley, then left the scene and called 911, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported.
“He was the one who called 911 to report the crash,” North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) Captain Bryan Niewind told the paper.
Brandt allegedly told the 911 dispatcher that Ellingson was a member of a Republican extremist group and that they had gotten into an argument, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported.
Investigators said Brandt claimed he was afraid the teen was calling people to come harm him, so he crashed his car into him.
Ellingson was rushed to Carrington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, KFYR reported.
Cayler Ellingson was murdered by a left-wing extremist in North Dakota
He was run over for being a Republican pic.twitter.com/ss39I1YzYj
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) September 20, 2022
Investigators tracked Brandt down at his home in Glenfield and took him into custody, according to KVRR.
According to police, Brandt admitted that he had been drinking alcohol prior to the collision.
He also allegedly confessed that after hitting Ellingson with his car, he fled the scene, returned to call 911, and fled again before law enforcement officers arrived, KFYR reported.
Investigators are still piecing together what occurred.
“We are still trying to determine what, exactly, transpired at the time of crash and prior to that as well,” Capt. Niewind told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
“We do not know of any witnesses,” he added. “We are still making attempts to interview potential witnesses from the street dance, people that were present prior to the crash happening.”
41-year-old Shannon Brandt killed 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson, who he claimed was a "Republican extremist."
This comes as the Biden regime stokes a culture of violence against half the nation, with Joe Biden saying “MAGA Republicans” represent “extremism.” pic.twitter.com/BRbXIOnkJw
— Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) September 21, 2022
Brandt has been charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly accident, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported.
When the judge set his bail at $50,000, Brandt argued and told the court he wasn’t a flight risk.
“I have a job, a life and a house and things I don’t want to see go by the wayside — family that are very important to me,” he told the judge, according to The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Brandt, who already has a prior DUI conviction, faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years if he is convicted of the vehicular homicide offense.
A fundraising page established to help Ellingson’s family in the wake of their loss has raised more than $18,000 so far.
