Texas man shoots intruder

A man in Texas, who fatally shot an intruder and then went back to sleep on September 26, has been charged with murder. 

In Dallas, Texas, James Micheal Meyer reported that he didn’t know whether or not he hit the person, so he went back to sleep without calling the authorities.

Meyer, a 72 year old Dallas resident, was woken up at around 5 A.M. September 26 by a noise coming from outside. Looking outside, Meyer saw someone attempting to break into his shed. He grabbed his handgun and went to confront the intruder.

Meyer claims he warned the trespasser not to come closer or he would shoot. Meyer reported that the figure stepped closer with a pickaxe,so he fired off a shot. The man dropped the pickaxe and ran into the forest. 

Meyer fired off another shot “into the night” in the direction of the intruder and then went back to bed.

The next morning, Meyer looked outside and saw what he described as a black bag in the park. He went to get a closer look and discovered the body of a man lying face down in the dirt.

Meyer had his wife contact an attorney before calling the police at 7:04 a.m. to report a home invasion in progress. 

According to the warrant, Meyer refused to answer any questions that the operator asked and kept repeating that “he was a victim of a crime and that medical assistance was needed.” 

When the police arrived they found a deceased man laying face down in the park behind Meyer’s house with a gunshot wound to the back of his neck. The warrant said that the Dallas Fire Department determined that the person had been dead for several hours. 

Crime scene analysts were called to help process the case and reported that they couldn’t find any shell casings. According to the warrant, Meyer told them that he picked them up and threw them away. 

Detectives also noted that neighbors heard three gunshots, not two.

Meyer was arrested and charged with murder Thursday. He was released from jail on Friday after posting a $150,000 bail, if he is convicted than Meyer could face life in prison. 

Dallas police have still not identified the man who was shot.