Suspect who assaulted Trump supporter in 'politically motivated' attack dies by suicide
The perpetrator of a series of what police say were likely politically motivated attacks on supporters of former President Donald Trump and law enforcement, including a brutal assault on an 80-year-old man, has died by suicide.
The City of Hancock Police Department in Michigan announced Monday that the department responded on Sunday to "three different incidents that appeared to be politically motivated."
Two of the incidents involved vehicles that were "intentionally vandalized," according to police.
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While the department didn't elaborate on the vehicle vandalization, it said that the third incident amounted to an attack on a man's life.
"At approximately 5:45 PM, in the 1600 blk of Anthony Street, the same suspect driving an ATV (4-wheel) allegedly with intention to do harm drove into the residence yard, running over an 80-year-old male who was posting a political sign in his yard. The victim was transported to the hospital with serious injuries and remains in critical condition," the police announcement reads.
"It is believed that the person driving the ATV is involved in all three incidents. Be aware, the subject appeared to target both Trump and Law Enforcement supporters."
A subsequent social media post from the department described how the "Honda, ATV driver was wearing a black helmet with black backpack." The suspect also had a "thin build with possible dreadlocks or long hair."
An update to the original post featuring a statement from the Houghton County Sheriff's Office was added Tuesday. Hancock is located in Houghton County, part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
According to the Houghton County Sheriff's Office, an individual residing in Quincy Township expressed a desire to "confess a crime involving an ATV driver within the last 24 hours" and requested that law enforcement "send someone to pick me up."
When deputies with the Houghton County Sheriff's Office and officers with the City of Hancock Police Department arrived on the scene, they discovered a 22-year-old male dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Additional evidence was located, 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 statement asserted. "The crimes reported in the city of Hancock appear to be politically motivated, involving victims who displayed Trump election signs as well as law enforcement appreciation stickers and flags commonly referred to as 'thin blue line' paraphernalia."
The Houghton County Sheriff's Office said it would release the details of the investigation, which involves multiple agencies. The FBI Field Office in Marquette, Michigan, is also involved in the investigation.
The political violence comes a little more than a week after Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee for president of the United States, was nearly assassinated at a rally outside Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. A bullet grazed his ear, which was covered with a bandage at multiple public events last week.
However, one rally attendee lost his life due to the gunfire and others were injured by the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Trump honored the victims during his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last week. The assassination attempt prompted discussions about the impact of volatile political rhetoric, which included a brief Oval Office address from President Joe Biden.
Biden, expected to be Trump's rival in the 2024 presidential election until dropping out of the race over the weekend, called on the American people to "lower the temperature in our politics." He proclaimed that "There is no place in America [for] this kind of violence, for any violence, ever, period."
"The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that," he added.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
