An 82-year old man is in stable condition after he was shot in the groin area by a Williamson County deputy Wednesday morning.

Detective John Foster said deputies were responding to a 911 call about a family disturbance at 403 West Esparada, near Williams Drive, just outside of Georgetown.

Foster says when deputies arrived, 82-year old Clarence Eugene Ruther came to the door with a rifle. Detectives say uniformed deputies ordered Ruther to put the weapon down.  Instead they say he aimed it at the officers, and Deputy Mark Davis fired three times at Ruther.

"Right now, what we're looking into is, obviously, why he did this,” said Detective John Foster of the Williamson County Sheriff's Department. "You know, when you come outside of your house and you're holding a rifle and the deputy tells you ‘Stop’, and obviously there was a family disturbance there, and you don't stop and you go to the next step of pointing that rifle at the deputy, then the deputy has to do what he has to do to protect himself and that's what he did in this case."

Deputy Davis has been with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office since May of 2005. He is on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation -- a move which is customary in these types of cases.

The Williamson County Sheriff's department voluntarily asked the Texas Rangers to perform an independent investigation.

Ruther is facing charges once he's released from the hospital.