Slain author was once sued by Ventura

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The author and former Navy SEAL who was one of two men slain at a Texas gun range was the defendant in a defamation lawsuit by former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura.

Ventura sued "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle in federal court in Minnesota over a portion of the book that claims Kyle decked Ventura in a 2006 bar fight over unpatriotic remarks he claimed Ventura made. Ventura, who's also an ex-SEAL, says the altercation never happened.

Kyle's Minneapolis attorney, John Borger, says he's "shocked and terribly saddened" by Kyle's death. But he tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press it's "way too early" to determine how it will affect the lawsuit.

Texas authorities have charged a 25-year-old former Marine as a suspect in Saturday's shootings of the 38-year-old Kyle and the other man.

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