BAKERSFIELD -- -- Daniel Provencio may be hooked to 24-hour life support, but to the state, he's a free man.

Provencio, 28, a Wasco inmate who was left brain dead after being shot in the head with a foam bullet during a scuffle, was released from custody on Feb. 14.

Provencio remains at Mercy Hospital in downtown Bakersfield, hooked up to a ventilator and feeding tubes while his family searches for long-term health care.

The release of Provencio is similar to a compassionate release, which is usually granted to inmates with less than six months to live.

Provencio is no longer shackled to the bed, nor is he guarded around the clock by prison guards at a cost of more than $1,000 per day.

Meantime, the investigation continues into his shooting.

An unnamed Wasco prison guard fired the non-lethal foam round at close range during the prison fight involving Provencio.