The Lawrence Community Shelter kitchen manager who was stabbed in the throat Thursday and treated for life-threatening injuries was released from a Kansas City-area trauma center Friday and even returned to the shelter on his way home, according to the shelter’s director.

Also Friday, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office charged a 21-year-old Kansas City, Mo., man with attempted first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing. Christopher Jamond George McKay appeared via video conference from Douglas County Jail to hear the charge, and a judge set his bond at $750,000. McKay’s next court appearance is March 25.

McKay is accused of stabbing Robert Shaner, 46, in the throat Thursday afternoon during a dispute inside the shelter’s dining hall. The shelter’s director, Loring Henderson, said McKay allegedly picked up a paring knife that was in the dining area and stabbed Shaner.

Henderson said a clear picture of what caused the stabbing had not yet emerged, only that the incident came as a surprise.

“He was not seen as violent,” Henderson said of McKay, adding that he had a likable side but was a “hard kid to get through to.”

Depending on his criminal history, McKay could face more than 54 years in prison if convicted. The state requested a $750,000 bond because it believed McKay posed a community safety risk and because he had no known acquaintances in Douglas County.

Henderson said Shaner visited the shelter to thank those who intervened on Thursday and others who wished him well.

Although the incident didn’t occur during dining hours, Henderson said enough people were present to restrain McKay because the dining area also serves as a walk-through area many use on their way in and out of the building.

“We really had some heroes,” he said.