A routine disturbance call at a Roswell sports bar turned violent early yesterday when a man, now identified as 34-year-old Martin Candelas Ponce of Oakwood, GA, was critically wounded in an officer-involved shooting. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has taken the helm of the probe into the shooting, which occurred at approximately 1:15 a.m. at Mazzy's Sports Bar & Grill on Alpharetta Highway, as per an announcement by the agency.

Staff and patrons at the establishment had dialed 911, vexed by a patron brandishing a gun inside the bar. Responding Roswell Police Department officers were confronted by Ponce, who was reportedly armed and seated at the bar. Despite being commanded to relinquish his weapon, Ponce is said to have raised it, leading an officer to discharge their weapon, according to the GBI's statement.

The wounded man received immediate aid from the officers at the scene and was subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition. The GBI has withheld further identification of the man until appropriate notification of his family can be made. The incident at the popular drinking and dining spot remained cordoned off throughout the early morning as the investigation got underway.

In line with protocol, the GBI's independent investigation will eventually yield a case file that will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for a thorough review. The outcome of this high-stakes inquiry is awaited with tension by the local community, as debates over the use of force by law enforcement continue to stir across the nation. Further details are expected as the GBI and the Roswell Police Department delve deeper into the circumstances that led to the near-fatal encounter.