"We're trying to make sense out of this," Davern Williams, Williams' uncle, told WWLTV. "I just want to know why. That is all I need to know." 

According to Louisiana State Police, two deputies with the St. John the Baptist Sheriff's Office were responding to a 911 call about a vehicle partially submerged after it went off an on-ramp along I-10 West. Deputies found the vehicle stuck in a marshy area with two people inside, including Williams.

"I don’t know how they end up going off the road that way, but at that point they were in need of the police, not to be hurt by police," Davern Williams said.

But what happened after deputies found the vehicle is still a mystery to Williams' family. A statement from State Police, which is still investigating the shooting, only said that "during the encounter with the two occupants, a deputy fired one shot from his duty weapon striking Williams."

Family members said the bullet hit Williams' nose, went through his jaw and out his cheek. 

"Why was he shot?" asked Neosha Williams, Jacoby's mother.

State Police said an AK-47-style weapon and a 9mm handgun were recovered from the scene.

"Those were registered guns," Davern Williams said.

Jacoby Williams remains in critical condition, but his family said they expect him to recover. 

"He's able to understand we’re in the room with him, so that’s a good thing, and we are happy about that," Davern Williams said. 

St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre released a statement to WWLTV saying that an investigation is ongoing and that he had no further comment on the shooting.