A Laurinburg man has been charged in the shooting death of his cousin, according to Sheriff Shep Jones.

Jones said 32-year old Shawn Cummings, of 15561 Pea Bridge Road in Laurinburg turned himself in in shooting to death 22-year old Thomas Lowery of 40 Tacoma Drive in Maxton.

The incident happened after 4 p.m. Thursday.

"Mr. Lowery was at Mr. Cummings residence," Jones said. "An altercation developed and Cummings shot Lowery."

Jones said that Lowery was a passenger in a vehicle when he was shot in the upper-part of his body with a shotgun.

The driver of the vehicle — who Jones declined to identify— then drove Lowery to Scotland Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Lowery was dead on arrival.

"We received a call in reference to an altercation on Pea Bridge Road," Jones said. The 911 call, which came in at 4:20 p.m., said that a shot had been fired.

Deputies were on the way to the scene when they found out about Lowery arriving at the hospital.

"The body was sent to Chapel Hill for autopsy," Jones said.

Jones said that deputies searched for Cummings, but that Cummings later showed up at the Sheriff's office with his father, Alex Cummings.

Cummings was placed in Scotland County jail without bond and had his first appearance Friday morning.

Jones would not comment on whether or not there was a confession.

A family member who did not want to be identified called alleged killer as "troubled."

"He was always in trouble," the relative said. "He has been since he was about 14"

The person added that Cummings may have mental problems.

"He got beat in the head with an axe handle and he is not really mentally stable at all," the family member said. "He flips out about everything."

The person said that Cummings had assaulted his step mother with the butt of a shotgun before getting into it with several people outside.

Cummings then shot Lowery, who the family member indicated was a cousin.

"It was just bound to happen, some place, some time. That is how I look at it," the relative said.

State records show that Cummings spent almost two years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, felony breaking and entering, driving under the influence and possessing drug paraphernalia. He was released January 2008.

Records also show that Cummings had four infractions during his confinement.

This is the second reported homicide in Scotland County in 2009.

Last year, there were five murders reported in Scotland County, according to the Sheriff's department.