DALLAS (AP) — Authorities say a 72-year-old Dallas man fatally shot a suspected burglar behind his home and then went back to bed before finally calling police nearly two hours later.
The Dallas Morning News reports that James Michael Meyer has been charged with murder in the Thursday killing and was jailed on $150,000 bail as of Friday.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Meyer told police he was awakened at around 5 a.m. Thursday by noise outside and saw someone trying to break into his storage shed with a pickax. He says he grabbed his handgun, went outside and yelled at the person to stop and not come closer or else he’d shoot.
Police say he told investigators the person took several steps toward him, so he fired and the burglar dropped his pickax and ran toward the park behind his home. Police say he said he fired again “into the night” in the direction of the park then went back to bed.
