Scott Aaron Glacken jailed for firing shotgun in Elizabeth Park neighbourhood dispute

A man who shot himself during a fight with his neighbour ended up in hospital – but then things got worse for him.

A man who escalated an intense neighbourhood brawl ended up shooting himself in the chest after he accidentally aimed the firearm towards himself, a court has heard.

Scott Aaron Glacken, 29, was jailed for more than three years after his choice to grab a gun in the heated dispute went horribly awry.

The Adelaide District Court heard a fight broke out between Glacken, who was carrying a metal pole, his neighbour and his neighbour’s brother on May 10, 2020 at Elizabeth Park.

“The fight was captured on CCTV and the footage shows you all pushing and punching each other,” Judge Joanne Tracey said during sentencing.

“You threatened your neighbour’s brother with the pole before headbutting him.

“At some point during the altercation, you threatened to shoot your neighbour.”

Scott Glacken will be sentenced next month for discharging a firearm. Picture: Facebook

Later that night, Glacken’s neighbour had some guests over and abuse was being hurled between the two houses.

Two of the men at Glacken’s neighbour’s house walked over and invited the two men in his driveway to fight.

Glacken then walked out of the garage holding a firearm.

“Another man at your address yelled ‘just shoot him, just shoot him’,” Judge Tracey said.

“At this point you discharged the firearm but it seems you managed to shoot yourself.”

Police arrived and found an improvised single-shot 12-gauge slam-fire shotgun.

They also searched Glacken’s house and found marijuana plants and weapons in his bedroom which he said were “for his enemies”.

Glacken pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including affray and discharging a firearm to annoy or frighten.

The court heard Glacken suffered a gunshot wound to his right upper chest area and was hospitalised for two weeks.

The gunshot wound Scott Glacken sustained after accidentally shooting himself in a neighbourhood brawl. Photo: Facebook

“This is consistent with you accidentally aiming the firearm towards yourself at the point of discharge,” Judge Tracey said.

“You say that you and your family have had long-term issues that have been ongoing with your neighbours which reached their peak on the day in question.

“You concede that you acted entirely inappropriately.”

The court heard Glacken, who owns a 3D-printing business, was remorseful for his offending.

“I have no doubt that this was an emotionally heightened situation … and while I accept that you have been the one who has suffered the most in the offending you were, it seems, willing to employ the firearm to invoke fear in your neighbours,” Judge Tracey said.

“You had made threats to shoot your neighbour earlier in the day, had possession of an unregistered, loaded, unsecured firearm which you deliberately retrieved in the heat of a dispute placing other members of your household, your neighbours and the general community at great risk.”

Judge Tracey sentenced Glacken to three years and seven months jail, with a non-parole period of 22 months.