The bullet ripped through the bedroom wall.

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Tom Noble returned to his Maplewood home from work early in the afternoon and was not expecting the scene in his bedroom.

“I came home from work and went into my bedroom and there was this white powder all over the bed,” Noble says. “I looked over and there was a hole in the wall, and I thought, ‘What in the world is that?’”

Originally, Noble thought it might be carpenter ants or some kind of pest. A friend who is a deputy sheriff took a look and said it was a bullet hole, so Noble called the police.

Noble says police believe it was a .22-caliber based on the hole, but the bullet has not been found in his home. The hole is a few feet off the ground and angled over his bed. Had he been in his bed at the time, Noble says, the bullet may have hit and even killed him. As a Dallas divorce lawyer, he has received threats and had his house egged in the past; however, police believe it was probably a random shot.

“I haven’t received any threats [recently],” he says. “It’s a little unsettling.”

Dallas Police Lt. Gloria Perez with the Northeast Patrol Division says unfortunately, random shootings are somewhat common in Dallas and can be very dangerous. She believes the shooting at Noble’s home was probably another of these crimes.

“The fact that no one was home gives an indication that it was a random gunfire,” Perez says. “This is a common occurrence and is very reckless. The offense is determined when or if the bullet strikes an object.”

Due to the randomness of the shooting, it is difficult for police to find suspects. However, sometimes the shooters are arrested.

“Yes, on occasion [they’re arrested] if officers observe the offense, or if officers are given information regarding the suspects, they will be arrested,” Perez says.

Perez urges victims of this type of crime to call 911 immediately and not tamper with the crime scene. —SEAN CHAFFIN