Charges upgraded to murder in fatal hit-and-run crash

MCHENRY, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Foster County State’s Attorney Kara Brinster has moved to dismiss the charges of Criminal Vehicular Homicide and Duty in Accident Involving Death or Injury against 41-year-old Shannon Brandt. The state has filed new criminal charges against Brandt, including Murder (AA Felony) and Duty in Accident Involving Death or Injury (B Felony).

Brandt is accused of hitting and killing 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson of Grace City, North Dakota with his vehicle on Sunday, September 18th. Deputies say the crash happened in an alleyway near Johnston Street and Jones Avenue in McHenry, ND. Brandt told State Radio that Ellingson was part of a Republican extremist group and that he was afraid they were “coming to get him.”

Investigators say none of the witnesses they have interviewed support the idea that there was a political argument before authorities say Shannon Brandt struck Cayler Ellingson with his vehicle. A family friend who knew the teen said he wasn’t active in politics.

Newly filed court documentation detail the conversation Brandt had with a dispatcher when he called 911. The documents say while Brandt was on the phone with State Radio, he made comments regarding the incident being intentional and not an accident. Brandt is quoted in court documents asking the dispatcher, “I just wanna ask you a question, am I going to go to prison?” Brandt also told dispatchers, “yes I just tried to take off en (and), he wasn’t going to let me go, I hit him I didn’t mean to and he’s subdued I was scared to death but he’s subdued, he can’t do anything to me now, so this is why I’m calling you. I mean, I almost, oh god, I almost just runaway but I thought jeez obviously if it was a total accident I wouldn’t be scared but I know it was more than that.”

Court documents say during the Highway Patrol’s accident investigation, there were no acceleration marks or skid marks in the gravel where Ellingson was found. An autopsy of Ellingson found that he was on the ground when he received his injuries. Dr. Kevin Maley says that means Ellingson’s injuries weren’t caused from being hit by Shannon Brandt’s vehicle and were caused by being run over.

Court documents say just before the crash, Ellingson called his mom and asked if they knew who Brandt was. She said yes, and told her son she was on her way to pick him up. A short time later, court documents say Ellingson called his mom again to say that “he” or “they” were chasing him. It was after the second call that Ellingson could not be reached again.