A confrontation that began with a routine traffic stop ended with a motorist dead and a police officer wounded with a gunshot in a leg, authorities said.

A Dothan police officer stopped a car in a neighborhood around noon Monday because it didn’t have a license plate, Police Chief Will Benny told a news conference. The officer saw a gun in the vehicle and the driver pulled away without permission, he said.

The officer followed a short distance until the vehicle stopped at an intersection and the driver got out with a pistol, Benny said.

“Officers attempted to use a Taser to incapacitate the suspect. The suspect began firing at an officer and struck him in the left leg,” Benny said. “The officer and his backup fired at the suspect, ending the confrontation.”

Police didn’t release the name of the officer, who was doing well after surgery, or the man who was killed.

State police will investigate, but Benny said he was “confident in our actions and our response.”