ROCK HILL — A Rock Hill man says he fired a gun to scare his nephew and mother-in-law after they attacked him on Friday.

George Alexander Thrower Jr., 44, was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm after he shot a .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun into the floor of his bedroom, according to a Rock Hill police report.

Police responded to the Hillcrest Avenue home after receiving a call from Thrower’s nephew, 19. Officers approached Thrower, who sat in the backyard with the silver gun. He put the gun down and was arrested.

Thrower told police he awoke to find his nephew going through his bedroom closet. Soon, the two men began to fight. Thrower’s mother-in-law went into the bedroom and jumped on Thrower’s back while his nephew was punching him, the report states.

Thrower was able to get his gun and fired a round into the bedroom floor to scare his attackers and get them off of him, he told police.