FLORENCE, AZ - An Arizona sheriff's office says independent testing of a bloodied shirt backs up the story of a deputy who contends he was shot by drug smugglers in the remote desert amid speculation by some that it was a hoax.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the Arizona Department of Public Safety concluded that a bullet passed through the shirt, but that no gun powder was found on it.

The sheriff's office said that confirms the bullet was fired from far away, as Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll said it was.

Puroll who contends he was shot by drug smugglers is speaking publicly this afternoon for the first time about the incident, which some speculate was a hoax timed to enflame the debate over illegal immigration.

“I did not shoot myself,â€