A Salisbury man was convicted this week of accidentally shooting his cousin last summer and will spend three to five years in prison.

Timothy Scott Glover, 23, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and felony possession of a weapon of mass death and destruction.

Superior Court Judge Julia Lynn Gullett sentenced Glover to two consecutive active prison sentences of a minimum of 19 months and a maximum of 32 months in prison for each offense.

The incident occurred June 9 at 11:09 p.m., when Rowan County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Woodleaf Road, in reference to a shooting.

When deputies arrived, they were met by two women who ushered them inside the home. The deputies saw Glover holding a bloody towel against the stomach of his cousin, Roy Jacob Bryant, a press release said.

Bryant, 23, of Lenoir, had been visiting with family.

Bryant was still alive, but in pain and was trying to sit up. A .410 bore shotgun was lying on the bed next to where Bryant was lying on the floor. Deputies saw a spent shotgun shell on the bed next to the shotgun.

Glover repeatedly told law enforcement he shot his cousin, but that it was an accident. Rowan EMS arrived and took Bryant to the hospital for medical treatment, where he later died.

The press release said Glover was crying and visibly upset, and had been drinking. Deputies spotted two empty liquor bottles in a trash can in the bedroom.

Witnesses who were present at the home said both Glover and Bryant had been drinking alcohol. Glover said he and his cousin were in his bedroom and he wanted to show his cousin the shotgun. Glover said he showed his cousin how the shotgun worked by loading a shell in the chamber.

Glover told authorities his cousin slapped the gun away from him, which caused him to accidentally shoot his cousin.

During the investigation, detectives were told Glover may have used a sawed off shotgun and not the .410 shotgun that was found in the bedroom. Detectives asked Glover about this new information and asked him to participate in a re-enactment of how the shooting occurred.

Glover eventually admitted that he used a 20-gauge sawed off shotgun when he shot his cousin. Glover also told authorities he hid the sawed off shotgun in the back yard after the shooting.

The sawed off shotgun had a modified length, officials said, thereby making it illegal under North Carolina law.