SULTAN — A Sultan man has been charged with first-degree assault after he allegedly shot at a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy.

The deputy encountered the man Oct. 30 at an abandoned airfield in Sultan. Several people called 911 after seeing a man shoot a dog at the airfield.

The deputy found a man, 57, armed with a rifle in a hangar and ordered him to drop the gun. The man refused and fired once at the deputy, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson wrote.

The round narrowly missed the head of the deputy, who had ducked, court papers said.

The man walked farther back into the hangar and the deputy heard another shot. He saw the man drop to the ground. The deputy kicked the .22-caliber rifle away from the injured man and spoke to him. The man allegedly said he should have allowed the deputy to shoot him.

The Herald generally does not identity people who attempt to commit suicide.

The man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Deputies found a deceased St. Bernard nearby. The dog had been shot four times, Matheson wrote. Investigators said the man e-mailed an apparent suicide note to the woman who rented him a room.

The man recovered from his injuries and was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on Nov. 3. He is being held on $1.5 million bail.