ALLSBORO — One man is at Northeast Mississippi Medical Center after he was shot by his brother this afternoon in rural Colbert County, authorities said.

The man, whose name was not available, was flown to Tupelo, Miss., after the shooting.

Colbert County Sheriff Ronnie May said investigators were still at the scene trying to collect evidence and find out exactly what happened and why.

He said the shooting occurred at 1:06 p.m. inside a residence at 7230 Buddy Durham Road, which is 2-3 miles south of U.S. 72.

“At this point, all we know, is two brothers, who apparently have been arguing for some time, got into an argument this afternoon and it escalated into the shooting,” May said.

He said it appears that the brother who was injured was shot three times with a .22-caliber rifle.

“The other brother had a derringer pistol,” the sheriff said. “There was another female family member there, who tried to stop them and she got a scratch by one of the shots.”

Emergency personnel said the female refused medical treatment.

“We hope to know more as our investigators are able to talk with those involved,” the sheriff said.