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Hitchhiker Who Suffered Ironic Gunshot Wound Actually Shot Himself

Photo: DAniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images

Earlier this week, a horrible yet amusingly ironic story emerged from Montana: A West Virginian hitchhiker named Ray Dolin was shot on the side of the road, for seemingly no reason, while working on a memoir called … wait for it … Kindness in America. On Monday, we called up the Montana hospital where Dolin was recovering, hoping that he might share his story and confirm whether or not his faith in America’s kindness had survived his unprovoked upper-arm wound. Instead, he told us, “At this time, not to be rude, but I have no comment. I’m getting ready to throw up actually.” We felt bad for Ray, so we didn’t run the quote. Now we kind of wish that we had.

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, 39, of Julian, W. Va., made the acknowledgement Thursday night, said Valley County Sheriff Glen Meier. Authorities believe Dolin, who is recovering at a Miles City hospital, shot himself as a desperate act of self-promotion but offered no further details.

First Forest Boy, now Hitchhiker Guy. This day is really destroying our faith in fantastic tales told by mysterious strangers.

Hitchhiker Actually Shot Himself