ARCHDALE, N.C. --- Joe Small and his wife were at their Stratford road home in Archdale when they heard a boom and thought it was a garbage truck.

"I walked to the end of the garage and look down in the back yard," said Joe Small. He said he saw several people bending over someone on the ground. That person was Marshall Darrell Overby.

"He was shot right there in that small depression right there in the back,” explains Small who lives near the altercation. “The officer was standing over him and another officer was standing over here in the side."

Archdale police said he was shot by bail bonds agents. In a 911 call, one of the agents told dispatchers Overby tried to stab him with a knife. He was taken to the hospital where he died from a gunshot wound.

 "I imagine the officer thought his life was in danger because of the blade he was carrying," Small said.

Archdale investigators are working with the Department of Insurance who oversees bail bonds agencies across the state. "What we did is, we gather all the particular information on all three bonds men that were involved," said Deputy Commissioner John Cable.

Cable said they checked  to make sure each individual involved is licensed and working for a verified company.

He said agents are allowed in people's homes without a warrant but their department does not provide special authorization for agents to carry weapons.

"When they're carrying a weapon they're operating as a private citizen," Cable said.

His division will continue their investigation alongside Archdale police.

Archdale police's detective tell us once they complete their investigation,  the district attorney's office will determine if charges should be filed.