A 44-year-old man who was shot Tuesday afternoon by a Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputy was reported to be in serious condition at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma Tuesday evening, where he was taken following the shooting in the 8400 block of Bethel Burley Road.

Scott Wilson, spokesman for the Kitsap County Sheriff’s office, said the man was shot by a sheriff’s deputy shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday when four deputies responded to a welfare call at the residence.

Wilson said he did not know the extent of the man’s injuries and could not confirm that he was shot in the chest, although radio calls on the police scanner indicated that the man had been shot in the chest. Whether the man had a gun, is not being released at this time, Wilson said.

Wilson said Port Orchard Police received a call from a woman at 11:56 a.m. who said she was concerned about her 42-year-old sister who lived on Bethel Burley Road.

The woman had not heard from her sister and was aware that a male acquaintance of her sister’s who had a history of drug abuse may be at the residence, Wilson said.

“The caller told Port Orchard police that there was a restraining order against the 44-year-old man, and that she was worried about her sister,” Wilson said.

The Port Orchard Police went to the location to perform a welfare check, Wilson said, but discovered that the residence was outside the city limits.

Port Orchard then transferred the call to the  sheriff’s office and four deputies responded. One deputy was checking the back of the house, while the other three confronted a man in a vehicle.

“What happened exactly, how many shots were fired, and by whom, remains to be determined,” said Wilson.

The Washington State Patrol has been called in to investigate because it is a sheriff’s deputy-involved shooting, he said.

The four deputies were placed on administrative assignment, Wilson said, and he said the name of the deputy who shot the suspect will be released within 72 hours, pending the WSP investigation.

“One of the three deputies on the driveway to the home was the shooter,” he said.

The road was closed to traffic throughout the afternoon and evening.  Undersheriff Dennis Bonneville was the highest ranking officer at the scene, Wilson said, he Wilson briefed Sheriff Steve Boyer by phone from the scene.

Wilson said he wasn’t sure of the number of people who were at the house at the time of the shooting. He said he didn’t know if the wounded man was known to law enforcement or if deputies had been called to the residence before.

He saids there were a number of neighbors who witnessed the events and they were cooperating with law enforcement. He said South Kitsap Fire and Rescue transported the injured man to the hospital and that a fire district chaplain was called to the scene.