A Surry County man is in Baptist Medical Center recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a confrontation with Davie County Sheriff’s deputies Friday afternoon.

The man, whose name has not been released, was working on a job site off Farmington Road when Davie authorities received a call from the Surry County Sheriff’s Department saying they had involuntary mental commitment papers for the suspect.

After the job foreman pointed out the man to the deputies, they began walking towards him.  He pulled a handgun and pointed it at the deputies, said Davie Sheriff J.D. Hartman. The man then put the gun to his own chin, and worked his way towards his vehicle, saying he was going to leave or shoot himself.

He got in his vehicle and took off, with deputies in pursuit.

Hartman said the man drove on Farmington Road and then got onto the westbound ramp to I-40. Construction had traffic backed up the ramp. The man fired a gunshot, and deputies began taking positions, trying to talk him into putting away the gun.

The man then got out of his vehicle, put the gun to his chest and fired, Hartman said.

No deputies fired a shot.

The deputies immediately began first aid, including pouring a clotting agent onto the wound to help stop the bleeding. That clotting agent may have saved the man’s life, Hartman said. Road deputies have this in their first aid kits.

The incident, which lasted about nine minutes from start to finish, was recorded on the deputy’s dash and body cameras.