Two Surry County deputies involved in the shooting of a 70-year-old man, who was left in critical condition and later died, were cleared of any wrong doing and will return to work later this week, according to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office Tuesday.

Deputy Mark Billings and Detective Scott Hudson, who were placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation, were cleared after the Sheriff’s Office received notification that the District Attorney had reviewed the North Carolina SBI Investigation and concluded that the officers had acted properly in the shooting of Linzey Gray Bowman, 70, of 271 Greentown Road on Nov. 18.

Bowman was shot by the deputies following an early morning chase at 1:20 a.m. which was initiated by Pilot Mountain Police Officer Mike Palmer, who observed Bowman’s car “driving erratically” on U.S. 52 north near N.C. 268 interchange.

When an attempt to stop him failed and Bowman sped off, nearby deputies and a state trooper joined in the pursuit, Sheriff Graham Atkinson said in a November news report.

About a mile north of the Cook School Road interchange, Bowman lost control and spun around headed south in the northbound lanes just before reaching the bridge over Simmons Grove Church Road.

According to authorities, when officers tried to get Bowman to exit his vehicle, he drove into three of their cars and hit one of the deputies who was outside a vehicle. At that point, the two deputies fired shots at him, striking him in the neck and shoulder area.

Following the incident, Bowman was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center where he was being treated in the Intensive Care unit until he died Dec. 4 at the hospital.

Sheriff Graham Atkinson declined Tuesday to provide comments in addition to the released statement.