A man from Lake Barrington, a village in Lake County, Illinois , is facing charges for possessing and firing a gun without a valid license. He claimed he shot himself in the leg by mistake while having a dream about a home invasion, according to police.
The 62-year-old man was charged in June, two months after he was found wounded at his home by Lake County Sheriff’s deputies on April 10, police said.
The deputies applied a tourniquet to his leg to stop the bleeding and took him to the hospital, police said.
The man told the deputies that he was dreaming that someone was trying to break into his house and he grabbed his .357 Magnum revolver and shot at the supposed intruder, police said.
He said he woke up from the dream when he fired the gun and realized he had shot himself, police said.
The deputies investigated the scene and found no evidence of any attempted burglary. They also discovered that the man’s firearm owner’s identification card had been revoked and he still had a gun.
A warrant was issued for his arrest on June 9 on felony charges of possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card and reckless discharge of a firearm, police said.
He was arrested on Monday and released after posting bond. He is due in court on June 29, police said.
No attorney was listed for him in online court records.
The Associated Press contacted him by phone on Thursday but he declined to comment.
