Cops: "Kindness" hitchhiker shot self

CBS/AP

(AP) BILLINGS, Mont. - A West Virginia man who claimed to be a victim of a drive-by shooting along a rural Montana highway while working on a memoir called "Kindness in America" has confessed to shooting himself, authorities said Friday.

Ray Dolin of Julian, W. Va., 39, made the acknowledgement Thursday night, said Valley County Sheriff Glen Meier.

The case remains under investigation and charges are possible, though none have been filed.

Dolin claimed he was hitchhiking along U.S. Highway 2 west of Glasgow on Saturday when the driver of a maroon pickup pulled over and shot him in the arm.

Hitchhiker writing book on kindness shot in Mont.

Authorities later arrested Lloyd Christopher Danielson III, 52, and charged him felony assault. That charge was dropped Thursday.

Dolin runs a photography business called OneShot Impressions, which has as its logo the cross-hairs of a rifle scope.

He could not be reached for comment Friday. But he said in a Thursday interview prior to his alleged confession that he had recently taken a bus from West Virginia to Sidney and then began traveling across the state working on his memoir about people's kindness.

He spoke from a hospital in Miles City, where he said he was undergoing therapy for his wounded arm. Asked about the release of Danielson, Dolin said he was reluctant to comment because of the ongoing investigation.

Dolin told authorities he was shot after he stopped for a meal. He later told The Associated Press that he never got a good look at the perpetrator.

"He came up, pulls up at a normal speed, stops, points, shoots and drives off. ... I did not get a good description," Dolin said.

Authorities arrested Danielson — a Tumwater, Wash., man apparently in the region to work in the Bakken oil fields — about 100 miles from the scene of the shooting based on a match between his vehicle and the description offered by Dolin. He was freed after his vehicle was examined under a search warrant, Meier said, although no further details have been offered.

[BloodThirstySavage]

He missed.

[CBSName]

Sounds like he's ready to star in a "Reality" TV show. They're about as fact-based as his story.

[hypnotoad72]

and this (can I say the word in public?) is writing a book about peoples' kindness? His own actions are why people are more guarded than ever, because of defrauding little (can I say the word in public?) like that (can I say the word in public?)...

[knewsteerrrrr]

So this moron gets an innocent driver arrested, and the cops arrested this guy 100 miles away because of some BS "vehicle description" and it ALL turned out to be total bullchit!

I hope that driver SUES the police dept for false arrest and harassment, and sues this nut case as well. The cops had NO proof let along a shread of evidence the driver had anything to do with this other than he happened to drive a truck that was SIMILAR to the report, a truck that likely matcehs 10,000 others just like it.
Of course they found NO gun on the guy, zippo.

SUE and collect a nice chunk of change!!

[SukmyBollix]

Knewsteerrr, you need to get out a little bit , you must watch too many cop shows where they always know who the bad guy is .
Do you think all witnesses and victims give a full description so they know exactly who they are looking for .

[canislupus16]

The article doesn't explain everything, and maybe there is no information to support it, but a possible theory could be that while Dolin was hitchhiking, a maroon pickup did indeed pass him by, which he took note of; or, he simply fabricated a vehicle description along with his story. At some point, Dolin shoots himself, either accidentally or intentionally, and subsequently alleges he was shot by the driver of the maroon pickup. Maybe he was po'd at the driver for passing him by (didn't exactly fit with his book title, huh?)

At that point the cops have nothing else to go on except Dolin's story and his arm with a real bullet hole in it. I would expect that the cops would act on that information until everything could be investigated. What are they supposed to do? nothing? For all they knew at the time, there was a guy driving around shooting at hitchhikers, or maybe the population at large.

So they find and arrest a suspect - Danielson - whose truck matches the description Dolin gave them. If you finish reading the article, the cops got a search warrant and examined the vehicle, found no corroberating evidence, and freed Danielson.

I would assume that the search of the vehicle included a search for a firearm and, more importantly, gunpowder residue. I think the cops handled it the right way.

I agree with you in that I hope Danielson sues the POS Dolin, but in the case of the cops it appears they acted appropriately. And I'm not one to defend cops for sloppy behavior.

What's your problem?

[DenverAngela]

Perhaps, he should be more kind to himself. I am wondering, is it a mental illness, or was it a desperate attempt to gain national attention for his upcoming book? I feel bad for the guy who was falsely arrested.

[credibility2]

What a despicable pathetic wretch! Hope he never gets his book published and he lives the rest of his life in shame and ostracized by decent, caring and kind individuals.