After an 80-year-old man was struck by an ATV while he was putting up a Trump sign in his yard in Michigan on Sunday, a 22-year-old man called authorities saying he was involved, then killed himself, officials said.
An ATV driver ran over the elderly man in Hancock at 5:45 p.m. following other vandalism incidents appearing to target those expressing support for former President Donald Trump or law enforcement, authorities there said.
On Monday, a 22-year-old man contacted Hancock police and said he wanted to “confess a crime involving an ATV driver within the last 24 hours,” the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The man asked someone to respond to his home in Quincy Township, the sheriff’s office said, where deputies found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The ATV, also known as an all-terrain vehicle, believed to be involved in the crash was also found, as was clothing the suspect had been described as wearing, the office said.
Authorities did not identify the 22-year-old man.
The victim struck by the ATV was in critical condition, Hancock police said.
Statements from the police department and the sheriff’s office did not identify the nature of the political sign the victim was putting up when he was struck.
But Hancock police said that there were three incidents — two involving vandalism to vehicles — believed to be connected and carried out by someone in an ATV and that they appeared to target those expressing support for Trump or law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office said the victims had displayed Trump election signs or “thin blue line” stickers and flags.
The sheriff’s office said it and the Hancock Police Department were still investigating the case.
Hancock is a small city of around 5,000 in northwestern Michigan, in the state’s Upper Peninsula.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
