Holly MatkinDallas, TX – A Texas homeowner allegedly shot a suspected burglar, then went back to bed for approximately two hours before calling the police.
The incident began at approximately 5 a.m. on Sept. 26, when 72-year-old James Michael Meyer was awakened by a noise outside his home on Philip Avenue, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Meyer said that when he got up and looked out his window, he spotted someone attempting to break into his shed using a pick ax, according to police.
The homeowner chambered a round into his handgun, then charged outside and yelled at the suspect to stop, police said.
He also allegedly warned the intruder that he would shoot him if he came any closer to him.
Meyer said that the suspect began advancing on him, so he fired his weapon, The Dallas Morning News reported.
According to Meyer, the suspect dropped the pick ax and took off running, so the homeowner fired off one more round “into the night,” according to police.
Meyer said he didn’t know if either round actually hit the suspect, so he headed back inside and went back to bed, The Dallas Morning News reported.
When he awoke later after sunrise, the homeowner looked outside and spotted “a black bag” lying in a nearby park, so he went over to investigate, according to the arrest affidavit.
That’s when he found the body of the unidentified suspect lying face-down.
According to police, Meyer’s wife contacted an attorney for advice on what to do before Meyer finally placed a 911 call at approximately 7 a.m.
Meyer repeatedly told the dispatcher that he was the victim of a crime, and that he needed medical personnel to respond, but he refused to answer the dispatcher’s questions, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Emergency medical personnel said that the blood found on the body was dry, and that the suspect had been dead for a period of time prior to their arrival.
He had a gunshot wound to the back of his neck, CBS News reported.
Officers were unable to locate any spent shell casings during their investigation, and Meyer claimed that he had thrown them in the trash, according to The Dallas Morning News.
He was arrested for murder, and was booked into the Dallas County Jail on a $150,000 bail.
Meyer was no longer in custody on Sunday, according to USA Today.