Pickens County Sheriff: Man wielding large metal pipe shot by deputy

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Authorities are investigating a deputy-involved shooting during a traffic stop in Pickens County early Tuesday morning.

According to the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, Sergeant Travis Curran was attempting to pull over a vehicle on Lincoln Street around 1 a.m., and that's when the driver, identified as Gary Lee Castle, “moved aggressively toward him with a large metal pipe in his hand.”

WATCH: Dash cam video shows the moments before a deputy-involved shooting

"Mr. Castle was very aggressive. Cursing, yelling, it was clear he was not approaching the deputy to shake his hands or do something friendly," said Captain Kris Stancil.

Castle moved toward the sergeant, who pleaded for the suspect to drop the weapon. Investigators said Castle refused to drop the pipe, so Sgt. Curran opened fire and shot the suspect.

“He [Curran] kept retreating, calling out orders over and over again for the man to stop. When it reached the point in the road where he had no more room to walk backwards, he discharged his firearm striking Mr. Castle,” said Stancil.

Castle was struck in the abdomen and the arm. Investigators said he was alert and conscious when he was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta where he was listed in critical, but stable, condition.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been called in to investigate the shooting.

Sgt. Curran has been placed on administrative leave.

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