A fight between brothers took a dangerous turn Tuesday night in the basement of a Panama family’s home.

A 19-year-old ended up shot, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson round passing clean through his chest, said Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner.

His older brother, 27-year-old Eric N. Letsch, ended up in jail, accused of trying to kill him.

Wagner said Aaron Letsch was very lucky he was able to walk away.

“A couple of inches to the right and I’m sure the injuries would have been much more serious if not fatal,” he said.

Wagner said sheriff’s deputies were called to 210 Willow St. in Panama at 10:51 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a shooting.

Before they arrived, he said, Eric Letsch ran from the house after his mother and injured brother took the pistol from him, he said.

Aaron Letsch was taken by ambulance to BryanLGH Medical Center West and was released after treatment.

Sheriff’s deputies searched for Eric Letsch for several hours with the help of two Lincoln Police dogs and a Nebraska State Patrol helicopter, Sgt. Mike Novacek said.

He said Deputy Jon Osterhaus found Eric Letsch in a barn on the property at 1:49 a.m. and arrested him.

Wagner said Eric Letsch was treated for a bite on his arm. He also was treated at a Lincoln hospital early Wednesday after complaining of a collapsed lung from a car crash earlier in the week.

The sheriff said he didn’t know if Eric Letsch was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the shooting. He also didn’t know what the brothers, who list each other as friends on their MySpace pages, were fighting about.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.

Wagner said the gun belonged to the men’s father, who was in another part of the house at the time of the shooting. Eric Letsch, who is a convicted felon, cannot possess a firearm legally, he said.

He was booked into jail on suspicion of attempted murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon.

“Obviously this was a real serious situation,” Wagner said.

A woman who answered the door at the Panama home Wednesday night declined to comment.

Last Friday, Lincoln police ticketed, then arrested Eric Letsch.

Officer Katie Flood said police ticketed and released him after Wal-Mart security called to report a shoplifter at 5:33 p.m.

Store security alleged they saw him try to leave the store at 8700 Andermatt Drive with a computer graphics card, a couple of Lego sets, fishing lures and a DVD, worth $244, Flood said.

Eric Letsch allegedly called 911 less than an hour later saying there was an 18-year-old shoplifter at Wal-Mart, she said. Flood said when asked for his name, he gave the dispatcher different names, and he would not say which Wal-Mart.

Dispatchers learned it was a prank call, and police arrested Eric Letsch on suspicion of obstructing government operations for allegedly making the call.

Reach Lori Pilger at 473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. Hilary Kindschuh and Cory Matteson contributed to this report.