A Greene County man remains hospitalized today after being hit by a shotgun blast about 3 p.m. Tuesday outside a house on Log Cabin Road, off Viking Mountain Road.

Paul Hipps was shot in the upper leg or groin area, sheriff's Detective Lt. Jeff Morgan said today.

Hipps was taken to Takoma Regional Hospital and transferred to Holston Valley Medical Center. His condition was not available this morning.

The shooting happened following "a verbal altercation with another man," Morgan said.

"The end result is, Mr. Hipps was shot," he said.

Investigators "are talking to a person of interest," Morgan said. No arrests had been made in the case as of this morning.

Hipps was listed as living at an address in the 2000 block of Viking Mountain Road in a 2008 police report.

The altercation started inside a house on Log Cabin Road "and [Hipps] was shot outside a residence," Morgan said.

Authorities did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to the argument between Hipps and the other man, and the subsequent shooting.

"It's under investigation. It will be a matter to work out with the district attorney general to determine what will happen next," Morgan said.