A Mexican immigrant accused of shooting at two Pittsburgh police officers in April had previously been deported after a string of crimes in other states and had reentered the United States illegally, investigators said.

During a preliminary hearing yesterday, District Judge James J. Hanley Jr. ordered 37-year-old Jose Morales Vasquez to stand trial on two counts of attempted murder and assault on Officers Ryan Young and Aaron Loughran.

The confrontation occurred in the city's Fairywood section on the evening of April 6, when Officer Young spotted Mr. Morales in the street, bleeding from the head.

When the officer stopped to help, Mr. Morales raised a gun and fired, Officer Young testified in court yesterday. The officer returned fire, and he then ran for cover behind the patrol car of Officer Loughran, who had arrived within seconds of the shooting.

Both officers fired at Mr. Morales, hitting him in the elbow, chest and gut, police said.

"I was firing and firing and firing, and he fell," Officer Loughran testified.

Mr. Morales was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital in critical condition. He was transferred to the Allegheny County Jail in late May.

At first, Mr. Morales told investigators his name was Luis Morales, and he gave them a Social Security number that belonged to a woman in Puerto Rico. According to police, fingerprint analysis and assistance from federal authorities helped determine Mr. Morales' real identity.

Investigators also discovered that Mr. Morales had been connected to crimes in at least five other states, including several assaults on police officers.

Federal authorities deported him to Mexico in 2005, but he came back, crossing the border on foot.

Mr. Morales apparently came to Pittsburgh for a construction job, said Wilma Stevens, who allowed him to live in her home on Fairywood Street.

On the night of the shooting, Mr. Morales had been drinking heavily, she said. He and Ms. Stevens started fighting when Mr. Morales tried to steal $15 from her wallet.

According to a criminal complaint, Mr. Morales then pulled out a pocket knife and a revolver, and Ms. Stevens ordered him to leave the house. She smashed a pitcher over his head and shoved him through the back door, the complaint said.

Mr. Morales then fired two shots through the door, missing Ms. Stevens. He eventually ended up in the street in front of the house, where he confronted Officer Young.

The incident came two days after the fatal shooting of three officers in Stanton Heights.