Authorities say a Dallas man fatally shot a suspected burglar outside his East Dallas home and then went back to bed before calling police two hours later.
James Meyer, 72. (Photo from the Dallas County jail.)
James Michael Meyer, 72, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder. He was taken to the Dallas County jail and was being held on $150,000 bond, the Dallas Morning News reported. Jail records show he was no longer in jail Monday morning.
Officers responded around 7 a.m. to a home invasion call in the 5400 block of Philip Avenue. Upon arrival, they found a body lying face down in a park behind the home. The blood on the body was dry, and authorities determined that the person had been dead for some time, according to the Morning News.
Meyer told police he heard a noise around 5 a.m. and saw someone trying to break into his storage shed with a pickax, the Morning News reported. He grabbed his gun and told the suspected burglar to stop or he’d shoot. When the person walked toward him, Meyer fired.
The individual dropped the pickax and ran toward the park. Meyer then fired another shot in the direction of the park.
Meyer told officers that he went back to bed because he didn’t know if he had shot the burglar, according to the Morning News. When he awoke, he saw the individual lying face down in the park.
When Meyer called 911, the newspaper reported that he refused to answer the dispatcher’s questions, saying he was the victim of a crime. Meyer also admitted to throwing away spent shell casings when investigators said they couldn’t find any at the scene.
