A man shot in the head Tuesday is showing slight improvement and responds to visitors, according to a family member Friday.

Keith Wesley Brannen, 43, Plantation Mobile Home Park, was “responsive, opened his eyes and was crying” when family and friends talked to him Friday morning, said the victim’s brother Ricky Brannen.

Keith Brannen was shot in the top of his head during an argument at a B. Stubbs Road home off Hwy. 24 in Statesboro Tuesday night. Air Evac was called to transport him to Memorial Medical Hospital in Savannah, where he has remained in critical condition since.

James Jeffrey Stubbs, 52, B. Stubbs Road, is behind bars on charges of aggravated assault stemming from the attack. Stubbs has a lengthy history of arrests in Bulloch and other counties, according to Bulloch County Jail records. While many records are sealed by the state due to recent privacy law changes, public record shows Stubbs was arrested multiple times on battery charges, including an incident in November 1999 and January 2002.

Ricky Brannen said his brother moved both feet Friday morning, but has not talked. He shed tears when family talked to him about his dog, Tater, and shared with him that many people are praying for his recovery

“The doctors say this is an improvement,” he said. “There is brain damage. It’s a bad injury.”

Sheriff’s patrol deputies were dispatched to Stubbs’ residence at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, deputies found Brannen on the ground with a gunshot wound, according to a released statement by Bulloch County Sheriff Lynn Anderson.

“We thank everybody for their prayers,” Ricky Brannen said.

Anyone with information on this case should contact sheriff's Investigator Dusty Williams at (912) 764-1703 or submit an anonymous tip to tips@bullochsheriff.com.

Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at (912) 489-9414.