After a Texas gun proprietor fatally shot a burglar, he went again to mattress earlier than calling the police. Following the incident, the 72-year-old man was arrested and held on the county jail on a $150,000 bond.
James Michael Meyer, a 72-year-old Dallas man, was charged with homicide after he fatally shot a burglar exterior his dwelling and instructed authorities that he went again to mattress earlier than calling 911. In line with the Dallas Morning Information, Meyer was held on the Dallas County Jail on a $150,000 bond following his arrest over the incident that came about on the 5400 block of Philip Avenue in Previous East Dallas.
Meyer was reportedly asleep in his dwelling when he was woke up round 5 am on a Thursday morning by surprising noises exterior. He mentioned he regarded out a window and noticed a person attempting to interrupt into his storage shed with a pickaxe, in response to police paperwork. After listening to the disturbance and seeing somebody who gave the impression to be burglarizing his shed, Meyer armed himself with a handgun and went exterior.
Meyer allegedly chambered a spherical earlier than heading exterior, the place he shouted on the man, yelling for him to cease what he was doing and warning him to not get any nearer or he would shoot, in response to an arrest warrant affidavit. The burglar allegedly didn’t hear, and Meyer fired off a shot after the intruder took a number of steps towards him with the pickaxe.
The one shot brought about the person to drop his pickaxe and flee. As he ran off within the course of a close-by park, Meyer instructed police he fired one other once more, this time taking pictures “into the night time.” Though Meyer had shot on the man, he mentioned he was not sure whether or not he had caught him. As a substitute of discovering out, Meyer instructed authorities he went again to mattress.
Hours later, because the solar started to rise, Meyer mentioned he regarded exterior and noticed “a black bag” within the park. Upon nearer inspection, he realized the “bag” was a person mendacity face down on the bottom. Two hours after the taking pictures, at 7:04 am, police had been dispatched to Meyer’s residence in response to a house invasion name to 911. Officers situated the suspect’s physique face down in a park behind Meyer’s dwelling.
Dallas Fireplace-Rescue employees famous that the blood on the physique was dry and decided that the suspect had been deceased for some time. Meyer was arrested and charged with homicide with the police affidavit noting that by Meyer’s account, “the specter of severe bodily damage towards him was over when the complainant dropped the pickaxe and ran off.” The affidavit additionally said that Meyer’s spouse referred to as an lawyer earlier than her husband referred to as the police to report the incident.
The affidavit additionally revealed that Meyer refused to reply the dispatcher’s questions, saying he was in want of medical consideration and that he’d been the sufferer of against the law. When investigators couldn’t discover any spent shell casings, Meyer instructed them he had thrown them within the trash. As well as, neighbors’ statements to investigators, which mentioned they’d heard three gunshots about 5:15 am, contradicted Meyer’s account of the variety of photographs he mentioned he’d fired.
One other report from CBS DFW, nevertheless, mentioned that neighbors had been defending James Michael Meyer, saying they perceive and he was simply attempting to guard his property. Individuals who know the 72-year-old instructed the outlet they suppose his actions had been self-defense. Meyer’s neighbors additionally mentioned burglaries are commonplace within the space.
“He’s not a violent man. I’ve by no means heard of him ever being violent, even in upsetting circumstances,” defined Calvin Holbrook, who had nothing however good issues to say about Meyer. Others, like Alondra Flores, had been simply as confused by the scenario. “I believe it’s loopy as a result of I by no means thought he would try this. However, it’s type of comprehensible,” she mentioned.
Texas has change into a hotbed within the debate over firearms and gun violence since it’s recognized for having unfastened restrictions on gun possession. What shouldn’t be debatable, nevertheless, is that gun possession comes with immense duty, particularly if you need to hearth your weapon. Whether or not you suppose James Michael Meyer is responsible or consider he acted in self-defense, there’s a lesson to be discovered from his scenario: As soon as a menace is neutralized, cease taking pictures, and at all times cooperate with police, together with reporting the incident instantly.
