MINTER — One man remains hospitalized after he was reportedly shot in the leg as he shot another man multiple times at close range with a rifle Sunday in Minter.

Dallas County Sheriff, Harris Huffman, said deputies responded to a call from Benny’s Place in Minter at 1:40 a.m. Sunday .

“When our deputies arrived, we understand the victim had been taken already by personal vehicle to Vaughan Regional Medical Center and when he got to the hospital, he was already dead,” Huffman said.

Benny’s Place is located at 216 Dallas County Road 4 in Minter.

“It seems two individuals were inside a bar — or shotgun house — they call it Benny’s place and there was a verbal altercation on the inside that resulted in a physical altercation on the outside,” Huffman said. “There were some punches from the victim and a suspect then the suspect went to a vehicle and retrieved a .22 caliber rifle.”

Huffman said once the suspect got the rifle, he fired approximately three times at the victim, hitting him twice and knocking him to the ground. According to witnesses, once the victim was on the ground the suspect stood over him and shot him again in the chest.

“During this time the suspect then received a gunshot wound to the buttocks,” Huffman said. “But nobody seems to know where that shot came from, we are still investigating.”

The suspect’s friends transported him by car to Vaughan, where he was later taken to a Montgomery hospital. Law enforcement officials expect the suspect to be released Wednesday morning from the hospital where they hope to take him into custody.

All that can be released about the person of interest in the case is that he is 34-years-old, lives with his father in Wilcox County but is from Atlanta.

The victim was 47-year-old J.C. Gaines of Minter. Miller Funeral Home of Selma took Gaines’ body and an autopsy is being performed in Montgomery.