In a spine chilling incident, a 72-year-man from Dallas was booked for fatally shooting a burglar outside his home and going back to sleep again without calling the police, authorities revealed.

It was not until 7 a.m. on Sep. 26 he reported the home invasion after finding the man’s body in a park close by, according to an arrest warrant affidavit The Dallas Morning News published.

James Michael Meyer recounted in police inquiry that he saw someone trying to invade into his storage shed around 5 a.m. Following a noise, he ran outside grabbing his gun and threatened to shoot the suspected burglar if he inched closer, the police affidavit stated.

The court had set bond at $150,000 bail before imposing a prison term on him, NBC News reported.

Before he dialed 911, his wife also contacted a lawyer to ask for advice, according to the affidavit. Police have charged Meyer with murder.

Meyer asserted to the investigators that the burglar took several steps towards him compelling him to fire and was armed with pickax which he dropped and ran towards a nearby park. Meyer then fired another shot “into the night” which probably had claimed his life. The affidavit said, going by Meyer’s account, the suspected burglar was far from causing serious bodily injuries once he eloped.

Meyer further said that he was unaware whether he had shot anyone and went back to bed. He got up to see what appeared like a “black bag” from a distance in the park. According to the affidavit, the bag-like substance turned out to be the man’s body, USA Today reported.

The affidavit further stated that Meyer tried to wash his hands off the crime by playing the victim card as he spoke to a 911 dispatcher. He also said to have called for medical help.

The Morning News reported that Meyer told police that he disposed of the bullet shell casings in the trash.

handcuffs
Representational image of a man in handcuffs.
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