A Walton County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Office lieutenant took matters into his own hands, subduing a suicidal man armed with a rifle in an incident caught on dashcam video.

Lt. Hess spoke to FOX 5 News Thursday about the incident.

“It became plainly obvious after a few seconds what he was wanting,” said Lt. Hess. “Suicide by cop at that point in time.”

Lt. Hess said he was trying to avoid bloodshed. He said he didn’t shoot because he saw Bradley was holding the .40 caliber rifle with one hand in the air, adding that he considered pulling the trigger when Bradley pointed the weapon at the ground.

“I’d say that transition was the only time that I truly felt like that would have been an instant where that would have occurred,” said Lt. Hess.

Instead, he took Bradley down the moment the 40-year-old inadvertently dropped the rifle.