A Michigan man was found dead after allegedly telling police that he would confess to ATV crimes targeting supporters of former President Trump and law enforcement.
One incident involved a four-wheeler that a driver used to plow down an 80-year-old man who was placing Trump signs in his yard. The elderly victim was hospitalized Sunday in critical condition.
The Hancock City Police Department received a message from an individual on Samson Street in Quincy Township on Monday who stated they wanted to "confess a crime involving an ATV driver within the last 24 hours," according to a press release from the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office. The caller further told police to "send someone to pick me up," the press release said.
Officers and deputies responded to the address and discovered a 22-year-old male suspect at the scene who was "deceased with a single self-inflicted gunshot wound," the sheriff’s office said.
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Deputies obtained a search warrant for the residence and recovered several electronic devices. The sheriff's office said the devices will be searched by computer forensic specialists.
Authorities said additional evidence was located at the scene, "including the four-wheeler used during the incident in the city, as well as clothing that the suspect had been wearing during the original incident."
The press release stated that the crimes reported in the City of Hancock "appear to be politically motivated, involving victims who displayed Trump election signs and law enforcement stickers and flags commonly referred to as ‘thin blue line’ paraphernalia."
"The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office and the Hancock Police Department do not condone any violence against any political candidates. There is no further threat to the public at this time," the press release said.
The sheriff's office said that no further details would be released amid the ongoing investigation.
Other agencies that assisted at the scene include Houghton City Police, Michigan State Police, Mercy EMS, Houghton County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the FBI Field Office out of Marquette, Michigan.
On Sunday, the Hancock Police Department said officers responded to three different incidents that appeared to be politically motivated. Two involved vehicles that were intentionally vandalized.
