A man has been found guilty of murder after shooting an acquaintance in Nottingham. Jack Preston, 34, of Ryeland Gardens, was convicted by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday.
Nottinghamshire Police were called to a property in The Meadows at about 05:30 GMT on 28 February, where Preston claimed a masked man had shot Coel Tainton. Mr Tainton, 24, died soon after despite treatment from paramedics.
Police said both men had been socialising together on 27 February and discussed the sale and purchase of a phone with drug dealing contacts. CCTV footage showed them at pubs and a cash machine before returning to Preston's home, where Mr Tainton was shot with a double-barrelled shotgun.
Preston later told police he had acted in self-defence, claiming Mr Tainton had tried to rob him with the gun before being shot accidentally. He was arrested at the scene for attempted murder and also assaulted a police officer while in custody. He admitted a firearms offence and the assault but denied murder.
Det Insp Clare Gibson of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit said Preston's decision to keep a loaded shotgun in his home and then fire it were key factors in Mr Tainton's death. She added that Preston had changed his account multiple times and tried to blame Mr Tainton for his own death.