An Allegheny Township man accused of shooting two men outside a Leechburg tattoo shop Sunday afternoon was defending himself, his attorney said Tuesday.

Police said one of the men who was shot, now paralyzed and in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, told investigators he had an altercation with Chad Robert Goldstrom, and Goldstrom pulled out a gun and shot him.

Goldstrom’s attorney, Wendy Williams, said her client acted in self-defense when he shot the men, both 38.

Williams said Goldstrom, 37, showed up for an appointment at Iron Element Tattoo Gallery, and five men were waiting for him in front of the shop on Market Street. She said the five men somehow knew Goldstrom had an appointment and tried to jump him when he went to enter the shop.

“We’re shocked that the police charged him, because it’s so clear cut a case of self-defense,” Williams said. “My client and I and his family are shocked that they charged him with aggravated assault. I feel absolutely confident it will be shown it was self-defense.”

Goldstrom turned himself in about 4 p.m. Monday at the state police barracks in Kittanning. He was taken to Armstrong County Prison after failing to post $200,000 bond.

“Chad wanted to do the right thing,” Williams said. “He did not want to be a fugitive. He feels confident that the outcome will win the case, that he acted in self-defense.”

Surveillance footage police obtained from the nearby First Commonwealth Bank shows three men, including the two men who were shot, standing on the sidewalk in front of the tattoo shop shortly after 3 p.m.

Goldstrom and a woman can be seen walking up to the shop. He remained outside while the woman walked in the shop, the complaint said.

Williams said the woman is Goldstrom’s girlfriend.

“The tattoo shop let his girlfriend in and locked the door,” Williams said. “(They) would not let him in.”

Troopers said the video showed Goldstrom removing a .40-caliber pistol from his waistband, and shooting at the men at least three times. One of the men was shot through the neck and spine, while the other was shot in the right arm, police said. Both men were taken to AGH.

After shooting the men, Goldstrom put the gun back in his waistband and went into the tattoo gallery, police said. He remained inside the business briefly before leaving with his girlfriend, police said.

The man who had been shot in the neck was in critical condition and quadriplegic, the complaint said.

“Regretfully, an individual was severely injured, but he took it upon himself to lay in wait for Chad and try to jump him,” Williams said. “I don’t know what they thought they were going to do with five against one, but (Chad’s) life was definitely in danger, and they’ve been pursuing him for quite some time.”

Goldstrom is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment, according to online court records. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9.

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