A Hardin County man was shot multiple times Thursday night by state police troopers responding to a complaint by the man's ex-wife.

The man was airlifted to University of Louisville Hospital. State police withheld his name and did not know his condition late Thursday night.

The shooting occurred in the Cecilia community outside the home of the man's ex-wife, said Steve Pavey, public affairs officer for the state police post at Elizabethtown.

The woman called authorities about 7 p.m., saying her ex-husband had assaulted her and was waving a gun around.

Police found the man outside the home near his vehicle. As officers tried to establish a "rapport" with him, he repeatedly set a handgun on his vehicle then picked it back up.

The man eventually stuck the gun in the waistband of his pants, but later pulled it from his waistband, an aggressive move that prompted officers to shoot him, Pavey said.

He said that perhaps three or four officers shot at the man. The officers will be placed on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation, which is normal procedure, he said.