A Dallas homeowner is facing a murder charge after authorities said he shot a burglar outside his home on Thursday and went back to bed before calling 911 two hours later.
James Michael Meyer reported a home invasion after finding the man’s body early Thursday, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
It all started after waking up at around 5 a.m when someone tried to break into a shed on his property. He stated that he went to the shed with his handgun and told the burglar to stop or he’d get shot.
Neighbors know Meyer is a good person and support his act was in self-defense.
The person took several steps toward him, Meyer told investigators, so he fired. As the burglar dropped his pickax and ran toward a nearby park, Meyer fired another shot “into the night” in the direction of the park. Investigators wrote the suspected burglar posed no threat of serious bodily injury once he ran off, based on Meyer’s account.
He didn’t know whether he hit the person so he went back to bed, an arrest warrant affidavit said. After sunrise, he said he saw the person lying on the ground.
He told investigators he threw the spent shell casings in the trash. Court documents said Meyers refused to answer questions from a 911 dispatcher, saying only that he was defending himself and that medical assistance was needed.
Neighbors stated that burglaries were common in the area. Calvin Holbrook, when asked about Meyer, said: “He’s not a violent man. I’ve never heard of him ever being violent, even in provoking circumstances.”
Alondra Flores, like many others, is plain confused. “I think it is crazy because I never thought he would do that. But it is kind of understandable,” she said.
Meyer was freed on a $150,000 bond. He declined an interview.
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Sources: Opposingviews, Cbslocal, The Dallas Morning News.
