PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The suspect in a deadly shooting in Glocester in 2021 faced a judge on Thursday.

Ryan Gallagher, 30, was charged with second-degree murder, but it has been reduced to manslaughter with permission of the victim’s family, according to a prosecutor.

The Glocester man pleaded no contest to the manslaughter charge for the death of Taylor Peterson in June 2021.

Prosecutors say Gallagher and Peterson were at his home when she went into the bathroom to do her laundry. He then entered the room with a loaded gun and handed it to her while the safety was off.

“His conduct reflected an indifference to the consequences of his actions. As a result of the defendant’s criminally negligent handling of the pistol, the defendant unintentionally discharged the handgun, striking Miss Peterson in the chest and causing her death,” prosecutor Mark Benjamin said.

The judge ordered a pre-sentence report for Sept. 5, and then there will be another hearing for family members to give victim impact statements before sentencing.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correctly reflect Gallagher’s hometown.

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