Virginia authorities are seeking a U.S. Marine deserter from Camp Lejeune in connection with the killing of a man who was his mother’s boyfriend.

Michael Brown, 22, was being sought in the shooting death of 54-year-old Rodney Brown in Hardy on Saturday afternoon, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the suspect was a Marine combat engineer stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, WFXR-TV reported Sunday. They said Brown went AWOL Oct. 18.

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The Marine has been known to live in the woods and frequent national parks, according to the station.

Deputies said he was driving a Lincoln Town car with North Carolina plates and was armed with a high-powered rifle, the station reported.

The sheriff's office issued a warning Saturday urging anyone who comes in contact with Brown “to use extreme caution and notify local law enforcement immediately by calling 911.”

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Hardy resident Kenneth Meador told WFXR he heard the sirens responding to neighbor Rodney Brown’s house but didn’t think anything of it.

“Then when I heard there’d been a shooting, I didn’t even think about Rodney, because I’ve known Rodney. He grew up here, I did too. We were friends, neighbors,” said Meador. “Rodney was a super nice guy. He was really polite, worked hard. Just a great guy."

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Deputies didn’t reveal a potential motive for the shooting.