Soldier Christopher Sullivan attending his own welcome home party left paralyzed after being shot in the back

An Army solider and a Purple Heart recipient attending his welcome home party was left paralyzed after being shot.

Twenty-two year old Christopher Sullivan was home for the holidays and was attending the party in San Bernardino when a discussion about football escalated into a fight between his brother and an invited guest.

Witnesses said Sullivan tried to intervene and the guest pulled out a gun and shot him in the back shattering his spine.

The suspect then fled the scene.

Sullivan received his Purple Heart in December 2010 after surviving a cracked collar bone and brain damage after a suicide bombing in the Afghan city of Kandahar.  The attack killed five soldiers.

He was recovering from the attack in Kentucky and had returned home to California for the holidays when he was shot Friday night.

Police said the suspect, who is described as Latino, is still at large.