A Fayette County man will serve up to four years in prison in the fatal shooting of his friend after pleading guilty yesterday to involuntary manslaughter, although he insisted it was an accident.

Jonathan J. Reyes, 22, of Uniontown pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of involuntary manslaughter in the Nov. 21 shooting death of Blaine Salutric, 20. Judge John F. Wagner Jr. sentenced Reyes to two to four years in state prison, under terms of the plea agreement.

"If the family feels it's justifiable, that's the reason I'm entering the guilty plea," Reyes testified yesterday. "I'm entering this guilty plea to bring this family peace."

Uniontown police said Reyes shot Salutric in the abdomen with a .380-caliber handgun in a Craig Street apartment while they and a third man, Stephen Richardson, were sharing a pizza.

Reyes had faced a felony charge of criminal homicide, but District Attorney Jack Heneks amended the charge under the plea agreement.

Fighting back tears, Salutric's grandmother, Leah Salutric of Uniontown, testified that her family's "hearts are broken." She said her grandson and Reyes were good friends and the shooting appears to have been accidental, but the plea was necessary to "bring peace" to her family.

She questioned Reyes about taking the handgun into the apartment.

Reyes testified he is "very against guns," but said he began to carry one to protect himself and his family. He said that he had had a gun pulled on him 12 times, his brother was shot at twice and his mother was "jumped by 30 people."

Reyes said he obtained a permit and carried a gun because he was the only one in his family who could do so legally.

Reyes testified that on the night of the shooting, he unloaded the gun and set it aside until he was finished eating. He said it went off when he tried to secure it before leaving the apartment.

"I don't know who reloaded it," Reyes testified. "When I grabbed the gun and put it on my lap, it went off. I have no clue how. I unloaded the gun. How it got loaded, I haven't the slightest clue."

Leah Salutric described Reyes as a "good boy." Noting he had no criminal record or involvement with drugs and alcohol, she expressed concern for his fate.

"I hope the system can help you find a job when you get out, so you can prove to Blaine you really were good friends," Leah Salutric said, noting that her grandson and Reyes had planned to go job-hunting together. "Just please, don't let the system destroy you."

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