ATV driver accused of running over 80-year-old man putting up Trump sign found dead

A man who allegedly ran over an elderly man with an ATV as he put up a Trump sign and vandalized vehicles in what police are calling politically-motivated incidents, was found dead this week.

On Sunday, officers with the Hancock Police Department in Michigan responded to three separate incidents that appeared to be politically motivated, the agency wrote in a news release.

One incident involved a man on an ATV reportedly purposely running over an 80-year-old man as he placed a political sign in his yard, and the other two crimes involved vehicles "intentionally vandalized," police wrote.

The vehicular assault took place about 5:45 p.m. in a residential area of Hancock in the states' Upper Peninsula near Lake Superior.

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The victim was taken to a hospital to be treated for serious injuries and was in critical condition as of Tuesday, police said.

A preliminary investigation by law enforcement revealed the suspect in all three cases "appeared to target both Trump and law enforcement supporters."

In addition to those who displayed Trump signs, people with law enforcement appreciation stickers and flags displaying the "thin blue line" were targeted.

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Suspect 'wanted to confess a crime involving an ATV driver'

On Monday, police said they were contacted by a man who said he wanted to "confess a crime involving an ATV driver within the last 24 hours." The man told police to "send someone to pick me up." 

Arriving officers, assisted by Houghton County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the man's home in Quincy Township, about 2 miles east of where the elderly man was run down. There, the sheriff's office reported, they found a 22-year-old man dead from what appeared to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Police obtained a search warrant for the home, where deputies recovered several electronic devices and the ATV reportedly used in the crime and the clothing the suspect wore during the incident.

An autopsy is expected to reveal the man's official cause and manner of death.

The victim's updated condition was not immediately known.

USA TODAY has reached out to police.

'There is no further threat to the public'

Police said Tuesday there was "no further threat to the public at this time."

With help from Michigan State Police and the FBI among other agencies, the case remained under investigation this week.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Hancock police or the sheriff's office.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.