A southern Oregon man is suing a bar for allegedly serving too much alcohol to his neighbor — who then went home, took out an AK-47 and started shooting in a wild spree that left the man wounded, his dog dead and a camel in a nearby wildlife preserve suffering from a stray bullet.

John LaRue, 49, of Cave Junction claims in the lawsuit that his neighbor, Joseph Sallman, was known to “become violent and use firearms when he is intoxicated.”

On July 1, 2017, Sallman started drinking at 7 a.m. at his grandmother’s restaurant, Art’s Red Garter Steakhouse & Saloon, the suit alleges. The bar served him an “excessive amount of alcohol,” the suit says, but it doesn’t state how much.

That same day, the suit claims, Sallman showed up at LaRue’s trailer, which is parked next door to Sallman’s home, and “made threatening statements.” Later that day, Sallman shot off his AK-47.

The two had been friends who had a falling out over two pistols that LaRue took from Sallman, LaRue told The Daily Courier newspaper in Grants Pass.

A probable cause affidavit filed by Oregon State Police says the shooting occurred outside Sallman’s home as LaRue was driving by in his truck. A bullet “grazed” LaRue inside the truck, police said.

But LaRue says in the lawsuit that he was shot three times and suffered “damage to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and other soft tissue of the chest and right shoulder” and experienced “loss of feeling and use of his right arm” as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and grief over the death of his service dog, Ben.

Sallman also hit a camel across the Redwood Highway at the Tiger Preservation Center, The Associated Press reported after the shooting. The camel, named Camille, died two days later, Robert Ringo, who runs the center, told The Associated Press at the time. The camel isn’t mentioned in the lawsuit.

Sallman was arrested three days after the shooting and eventually pleaded guilty to attempted murder and first-degree animal abuse for the attack on LaRue and his dog. Sallman, 32, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He also paid LaRue $1,422 in restitution, court records show.

The suit, filed last week in Josephine County Circuit Court, names the steakhouse and its owner, Linda Sallman. It seeks $1.5 million in noneconomic damages as well as $80,000 in medical expenses and $500 for the value of the dog.

Linda Sallman, 76, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the bar didn’t open until 9 a.m. the day of the shooting and that her grandson hadn’t been drinking there that morning.

Art’s Red Garter Steakhouse & Saloon closed last April, Linda Sallman said, for reasons unrelated to the shooting.

LaRue declined to comment through his attorney.

Read the lawsuit here.

-- Diana Kruzman; dkruzman@oregonian.com; 503-221-5394; @DKruzman