CLINTON - Shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, 22-year-old Zachary Williams was shot outside of his home in Clinton by an East Feliciana Parish deputy.

Zachary's wife, Victoria, says it all started when she and her two children arrived home from church.

"Things started escalating right off the bat. I could tell something wasn't right," Victoria said.

Victoria says she believes her husband was going through a mental episode because he was threatening to commit suicide.

"He was not making much sense verbally. He was running around the house a lot, he was sweating heavily and he just didn't seem like he was okay," Victoria said.

She says she tried to let the situation cool down, but ended up calling the police because she felt threatened.

"My life was in danger and on the phone I was crying with the lady when he found me because I thought right there I told her I'm just warning you when he finds me on the phone in here, I am going to get shot," she said.

Once a deputy arrived on scene, Victoria said Zach was originally holding a pistol but he became increasingly agitated by the unexpected visitor so he grabbed an AR and headed towards the officer.

"That's probably why they thought he was coming at them because there was no reason for him to have a gun in the first place and he started charging out and had a gun," she said.

After attempts to get Zach to put down his weapon failed, she says the officer fired four shots in Zach's direction. Two of the bullets hit Zach in the upper chest near his shoulder. The other two went into the side of his home where his two children were.

"Zach was irate and out of his mind and seemed like charging at a cop with a loaded firearm so he did what was within his jurisdiction to do and I will never not believe that," Victoria said.

WBRZ reached out to both the East Feliciana Sheriff's Office and Louisiana State Police.