RIVERSIDE - An ex-firefighter accused of gunning down an acquaintance told investigators the victim stabbed him and tried to slit his throat seconds before the fatal shooting, but admitted being too drunk to know all the details, according to testimony today at his trial.

Steven Ray Strebe, 33, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of first-degree murder, with gun and great bodily injury allegations, in the New Year's Eve 2007 death of 43-year-old Mark Allen Owsley.

According to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, Strebe shot Owsley in the back during an alcohol-fueled squabble at the defendant's Banning home.

Roughly four hours after the shooting, Strebe was interviewed at Riverside County Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for puncture wounds to his stomach and a small cut on his neck.

The videotaped interview, conducted by Banning police Detective Robert Fisher, was shown to jurors.

During the 20-minute conversation, Strebe, obviously intoxicated, said he was attacked while lying in his bed, but was clueless as to why or who the assailant was.

"Some guy tried to slash my throat, and I (expletive) went for my gun. It's so foggy to me,'' Strebe told the detective. "I was getting attacked, stabbed.''

Strebe told Fisher he consumed two bottles of tequila and large quantities of beer between 9 a.m. and shortly before the shooting, making it hard for him to think "clearly.''

"The whole situation is kind of crazy,'' he said. "What am I supposed to say? I feel like an (expletive), a stupid ass.''

When Fisher mentioned Owsley's name, the defendant replied, "I have no idea who that is. Absolutely 100 percent -- I don't know.''

The two men had met for the first time that evening at O'Reilly's Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] bar in Banning, where Strebe made advances toward Owsley's longtime friend, 35-year-old Melissa Florez, according to trial testimony.

The trio drank at the pub, and then headed to the defendant's residence at 481 W. Hoffer St., Florez previously testified.

She said Strebe served her and Owsley tequila when they got to his house, then all of them jumped into his hot tub on the back patio.

Florez said Strebe wanted to get intimate with her and repeatedly asked Owsley to leave the house, but the victim balked because he had no transportation.

According to Deputy District Attorney Michelle Paradise, Strebe tried to force the victim out of his house, triggering a scuffle during which Strebe grabbed his semiautomatic pistol and chased Owsley out the front door, firing a single shot into the man's back.

Owsley was pronounced dead less than an hour later at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning.

In the videotape, Strebe denied knowing anybody was in his house prior to the shooting. He said he awoke from a slumber with an unknown man on top of him, attacking him with a knife. He told Fisher he pulled his pistol from an

unlocked safe and fired once at the intruder as the man fled into a hallway.

"Why do you think he stabbed you?'' Fisher asked. "I don't know. Why did he stab me?'' Strebe replied. "I was being

attacked. That's all I can remember.''

Florez testified Tuesday that Owsley's right arm was permanently damaged from a motorcycle accident and he "couldn't grasp anything with his right hand. He couldn't even tie his shoes.''

Strebe worked for the California Department of Forestry as a seasonal firefighter until his arrest. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley jail in Riverside.