A 78-year-old man who refused to drop his weapon when confronted by police in the South Georgia town of Nicholls was shot and killed by officers Monday, the GBI said.

The incident began when Nicholls police were notified that a man pointed a gun at a city employee and was walking on a public road carrying a gun, according to the GBI. Responding officers found the man, Roy Streat, at the intersection of Johnson Street and Brunswick Avenue.

Officers commanded Streat to drop his gun and tried to stun him with a Taser when he refused to comply, the GBI said. After the Taser was unsuccessful, an officer shot Streat, according to the state agency. He was taken to Coffee County Regional Medical Center but later died from his wounds.

The GBI has opened an independent investigation into the shooting at the request of local officials. This is the 17th such incident the state agency has investigated this year.