A 19-year-old man is recovering from what appear to be non life-threatening gunshot wounds after he was shot during an argument in south Ada County early Thursday morning.
Ada County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Damian M. Barber for shooting the other man outside a residence in the 3300 block of E. Deer Flat Road.
Deputies were sent to the Deer Flat Road home just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday to investigate a report of a shooting.
Investigators later determined that Barber and the other man had been arguing via text messages earlier in the night. That argument continued in person outside a residence in the 3300 block of E. Deer Flat Road early Thursday morning.
Witnesses say the argument ended shortly after Barber, who was holding a .22 caliber rifle, fired at least three shots at the other man when the fight turned physical.
That’s when some other people who were with the man got him into a car and started driving to the hospital. Deputies stopped the car as part of the investigation, figured out what was going on, and called paramedics, who took the man to the hospital.
Deputies at the home found Barber, who was arrested without incident and eventually booked into the Ada County Jail.
Barber is charged with felony aggravated battery and is set to make his initial court appearance Friday afternoon.
The crime of aggravated battery is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.