Deputies responding to a report of a domestic dispute found Terry Lee Brill, 60, of Vista suffering from a bullet wound to his left hand at his North Santa Fe Avenue house about 11 p.m. Monday, according to sheriff's Sgt. Rob Smith.

Investigators determined that Brill and his 59-year-old brother, Michael, were in the midst of an "alcohol-fueled" quarrel when the older sibling allegedly grabbed a double-barreled "derringer-type" pistol and held it a few inches from the other's face, Smith said.

Terry Brill allegedly pulled the trigger several times, but the small handgun failed to fire. The would-be assailant then pulled the weapon away and "manipulated" it to try to get it working, at which point it went off, the sergeant said.

"An examination of the two-shot pistol, recovered at the scene, revealed one fired round and one unexpended round," he said. "Both the fired and unfired rounds showed firing-pin ... strikes."

Brill was taken to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, where he was treated before being released and booked into the Vista Jail. He was being held without bail pending arraignment expected Wednesday afternoon.