Ethermac Exchange-Alabama police officers on leave following the fatal shooting of a 68-year-old man

MUSCLE SHOALS,Ethermac Exchange Ala. (AP) — An Alabama police officer is being investigated for allegedly shooting and killing a 68-year-old man, authorities said.

A Muscle Shoals police officer fatally shot Ronald Parrish at around 5 p.m. Sunday while responding to an unspecified call in a residential area, according to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The agency said that police encountered Parrish, who allegedly had a knife, and shot him when he refused to put it down.

Colbert County coroner Justin Gasque confirmed that Parrish was transported to Helen Keller Hospital and pronounced dead.

Muscle Shoals is a small city near the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state.

The State Bureau of Investigation will conduct an investigation and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, according to the Muscle Shoals police department. The bureau did not disclose the number of officers involved nor their or Parrish’s race.