Conservatives are pointing fingers at President Joe Biden after a North Dakota man allegedly killed a conservative teenager because of his "extremist" politics.
Court documents show that Shannon Brandt, 41, allegedly told state authorities that he hit and killed a pedestrian due to his being part of a "Republican extremist group," according to KVRR in Fargo.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol said that at about 2:55 a.m. Sunday, Brandt killed 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson in an alley in what was described by authorities as a hit-and-run incident in Brandt's hometown of McHenry, Foster County.
Authorities said a "street dance" was occurring in McHenry that evening. Brandt was driving his 2003 Ford Explorer and allegedly struck Ellingson, who was on foot.
Ellingson was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Brandt, who was unharmed, was charged with DUI-related criminal vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash that caused death. The North Dakota Highway Patrol and North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations continue to review the incident and are considering additional charges.
Foster County Sheriff Justin Johnson told Newsweek that he had no comment and referred the matter to the highway patrol.
Johnson confirmed reports that Brandt is out of jail on a $50,000 cash bond.
Biden is receiving blame online due to his September 1 "Soul of the Nation" speech in Pennsylvania in which he said that "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic."
One day later, Biden sought to clarify his comments, saying he wasn't blaming "any Trump supporter" except those who use violence or fail to condemn it.
During a Labor Day speech, Biden again used the word "extreme" to describe Trump and supporters who want the U.S. to "look backwards" while "democracy is at stake."
The blood of that 18-year-old North Dakota Republican - killed by a man who called him an “extremist” - is on Joe Biden’s hands.
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) September 21, 2022
"The blood of that 18-year-old North Dakota Republican - killed by a man who called him an "extremist" - is on Joe Biden's hands," conservative commentator Todd Starnes tweeted.
Commentator Sophie Corcoran called it "a disgrace."
"Biden has spent the last weeks calling republicans a danger to America and spreading hate, well now, A North Dakota man has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide after intentionally killing a teenager with his vehicle just because the teen is a Republican," she tweeted.
Karol Markowicz, a columnist for Fox News and the New York Post, tweeted that "Joe Biden's rhetoric has consequences."
"When you label anyone who disagrees with you an 'extremist,' this happens," Markowicz wrote. "This should be a wall-to-wall story."
Reporter Mia Cathell at the conservative TownHall.com tweeted that "since his release, it appears Brandt started scrubbing his social media."
Democrats have received criticism from members of their own party for spending millions of dollars supporting radical, right-wing candidates in primary elections for potentially more winnable general elections.
A GoFundMe set up by a family friend of Ellingson had raised more than $31,000 of an original $10,000 goal as of Thursday at about noon.
Newsweek reached out to the North Dakota Highway Patrol and McHenry Police Department for comment.
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