Man Shoots Himself In His Sleep Thinking He Was Being Robbed

LinkedIn

When people are sleeping, strange things happen all the time. We walk, chat, and, allegedly, occasionally, we even fire guns.

What a dangerous species we are.

Although the last action is obviously much less common than the previous two and requires a gun to execute, it does occur. Ask Illinois resident Mark Dicara.

Image: Lake County Sherriiff's Office

The 62-year-old pulled out his .357 Magnum pistol and fired a shot at roughly 9:50 p.m. on April 10th, according to the Lake County administration. He had been dozing off.

Following a report that someone had been shot inside the house, police were sent to the location. When they got there, they discovered Dicara had been shot in the leg and had lost "a significant amount of blood."

After being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, an investigation revealed that Dicara's leg had been completely penetrated by the bullet before it became lodged in his bedding.

Pexel

So why did Dicara shoot his own leg with the gun? Evidently, he believed he was being robbed.

That was what his subconscious told him, at least.

Deputies from the Lake County Sheriff's Office said Dicara had a dream that someone was breaking into his house, and in response, he grabbed his rifle and fired at the 'intruder'.

Pexel

He naturally woke up when he fired the shot—I know some people who have trouble falling asleep, but none of them could ignore a bullet in the leg—and a search revealed no signs of a robbery attempt or an intruder inside the house.

Dicara's dreams, sadly, left him with more than just physical wounds.

As a result of the investigation, it was discovered that the 62-year-old had used the revolver and owned it without a Firearm Owners Identification card, which is required for gun owners in Illinois.

Dicara had a previous ID, but according to the authorities, it had been canceled. They omitted the reason.

Dicara was detained by the police on Monday, June 12; however, he was later released after posting a $150,000 (£118,600) bond.

Dicara is due in court on June 29 to answer allegations of careless firearm discharge and possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card.

Although I'm not sure how many people this will apply to, I suppose Dicara's tale could serve as a cautionary lesson: if you're a serious dreamer, make sure to keep your firearms out of sight.