AUGUSTA, Ga. - The Richmond County Sheriff's Office tell NBC Augusta 26 News two deputies shot and killed a man during a domestic dispute early Thursday morning.

The Richmond County Coroner's Office identified the man killed as Terry Ramsey, 41, of Augusta.

Three deputies were dispatched to a home on Metcalf Street around 4:20 Thursday morning. That's in the Harrisburg neighborhood. Investigators say when the deputies arrived they heard a woman screaming for help. That woman was Ramsey's estranged wife, Tameka.

Investigators say the couple's 14-year-old son called 911 and told them his father was trying to kill his mother. The couple's 8-year-old daughter was also inside the home.

Sheriff Ronnie Strength says the deputies kicked down the door and found Ramsey on the coach holding a knife to his estranged wife's throat. That's when deputies fired shots.

"They did not have to say drop that knife because some body's life was in danger. Without a doubt they took action and they followed protocol," said Strength.

Strength tells 26 News Ramsey called his estranged wife's home several time that night before he came to the house. Investigators say Ramsey may have been drinking.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office say Chadwick Plueger, Slyvester Rosier and Demetrius Wilburn were the three deputies who responded to the scene.

Plueger and Rosier were the deputies who fired the shots. Plueger has been with the sheriff's office four year. Rosier has worked as a deputy with the county for six. Both are on paid administrative leave.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation. That's the proper procedure anytime deputies are involved in a shooting.

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