SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. ? A California man has been charged with attempted murder in the shooting of an Afghanistan war veteran at a homecoming party.
San Bernardino County prosecutors say Tuesday they charged 19-year-old Ruben Ray Jurado with attempted murder.
Jurado's defense attorney says his client was being attacked when the shooting of 22-year-old Christopher Sullivan occurred at a party Friday night in San Bernardino.
Authorities say Jurado shot Sullivan after Sullivan intervened in a fight over football teams.
Sullivan's family says the gunfire shattered Sullivan's spine, leaving him paralyzed.
Sullivan survived a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan last year and was healing at an Army base in Kentucky before coming home for the holidays and a party in his honor.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
An attorney said Tuesday that the man jailed in the critical wounding of an Afghanistan war veteran at a California homecoming party was being attacked and was on the ground when the shooting took place.
Attorney Michael J. Holmes said he wants to talk to 19-year-old client Ruben Ray Jurado and the district attorney before commenting further.
"It appears that he was being attacked and he was on the ground and was being kicked in the back, stomach, the head, and that is consistent with the injuries that I observed," Holmes said Tuesday morning. "It is alleged at that point that Mr. Sullivan was shot."
Jurado surrendered himself to authorities on Monday for investigation of attempted murder in connection with Friday's shooting at a San Bernardino party for 22-year-old Army soldier Christopher Sullivan. The district attorney's office has until Wednesday to file charges.
Sullivan survived a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan last year, received a Purple Heart and was healing at a U.S. base before coming home for the holidays.
Authorities said Jurado, who had played football with Sullivan in high school, began arguing with Sullivan's brother over football teams and then punched him. Sullivan intervened and Jurado pulled a gun and fired multiple shots, hitting Sullivan in the neck, San Bernardino police Sgt. Gary Robertson said.
Sullivan remains in critical condition. His relatives say the gunfire shattered his spine and left him paralyzed from the neck down.
On Tuesday, Sullivan was able to breathe partially on his own. A few days ago, he relied solely on a hospital breathing machine, his family said.
"He's opening his eyes more," his 20-year-old brother Brandon Sullivan told the Associated Press. "We're just waiting day by day."
Sullivan was wounded in a suicide bombing attack last year in Kandahar province while serving with the 101st Infantry Division. He suffered a cracked collarbone and brain damage in the attack and had been recovering in Kentucky, where he is stationed.
Sullivan was an avid wrestler and football player in high school in San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. He had nine months to go in the military and then planned to become a firefighter or police officer. He always liked to help people, his brother said.
"Say there was a person at school who never had friends or nothing ? Chris would be the person who would go up to him and try to be his friend. He didn't like people to feel alone," Brandon Sullivan said. "He always had a smile on his face."
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