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NY man kills UPS driver and runs over his body, tells police he thought it was Trump
Image source: YouTube

NY man kills UPS driver and runs over his body, tells police he thought it was Trump

An upstate New York man has been charged with second-degree murder after he shot and killed a UPS driver in the parking lot of the Ithaca Wal-Mart and then ran over his body, according to authorities. According to reports, he thought he was shooting President-elect Donald Trump.

The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Justin Barkley, sped away before police encountered him and tried to pull him over:

"The officers merged behind the vehicle and attempted to stop it on Route 13 near the intersection of Route 366. The vehicle refused to stop and continued for approximately another 1/4 mile and pulled into a driveway. The suspect exited the vehicle with a long gun and shot at police officers as he fled towards the area believed to be his residence," according to the Ithaca Police Department.

After hours of trying to communicate with the suspect, police said around 10 a.m. that Justin Barkley, 38, was taken into custody after he surrendered.

Here's what he said in court:

Justin Barkley, 38, stood before Judge John Rowley and said he knew where President-elect Donald Trump would be on Dec 8. He then waited for him outside of a Walmart where he said he allegedly killed him, according to the Ithaca Voice.

"I shot and killed Donald Trump purposely, intentionally and very proudly," Barkley said during his arraignment.

His bizarre reasoning for shooting an unrelated UPS driver and his odd, smiling booking photo might mean he was driven more by mental illness than a political ideology. Still, it must be noted that the media would have probably given a case like this much more attention if Obama or another Democrat had been named as the target.

The victim, William Schumacher, was simply taking a break from his overnight shift to get something to eat.

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