A Clarke County Sheriff's deputy is recovering after being shot in the leg Friday afternoon outside a courthouse in Athens.

Cpl. J.T. Williams was shot around 3 p.m. outside the Robert G. Stephens Federal Building on Hancock Avenue in Athens, authorities said.

Williams and other officers were attempting to serve an involuntary commitment order on 26-year-old Larry Henderson of Athens, Sheriff Ira Edwards Jr. said.

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, the suspect's mother had brought him to the courthouse to involuntary commit him to a mental health hospital.

Henderson refused to exit the vehicle, then pulled out a .22-caliber pistol and started shooting at officers, Edwards said. A Taser was used to subdue him.

Williams, an eight-year veteran of the force, was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center. He had to have surgery because the bullet got lodged in a bone, Edwards told Channel 2 Action News. The deputy is expected to make a full recovery, the report said.

Henderson was charged with four counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and additional charges are possible, Edwards said.

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