VIDEO: Texas Chief Shot in Face While Working Off Duty at Bar

A Texas police chief is in critical condition after being shot in the face while working security at a bar early Sunday morning, authorities said.

Marlin Police Chief Darrell Allen was working a security job at the Laid Back Lounge II in Temple when he got into an "altercation" with a suspect and was shot while attempting to detain him, according to the Temple Police Department. Allen was "in uniform" but off-duty at the time of the 1:30 a.m. shooting, Temple Police Sgt. Allen Teston told NBC News .

Initially, Allen's head wound was considered "life-threatening," and he was brought to the Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Waco, which is about 40 miles north of Temple. Allen was in critical but stable condition Monday afternoon, according to police.

The suspect in the shooting, 24-year-old Derrick Wayne Gamble, was detained at the Bell County Jail shortly after the shooting, according to police. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and his bond was set at $750,000 on Monday morning, according to jail records .