Man allegedly shoots himself during dream about home invasion, gets charged with 2 felonies after unconscious scuffle with phantom burglar

An Illinois man was charged with two felonies after he allegedly shot himself in the leg accidentally as he dreamed that an intruder had entered his home.

Mark Dicara, 62, thought he was on the receiving end of a home invasion on April 10, 2023, according to the Daily Mail. The man reportedly believed he was fighting off a burglar, so he allegedly grabbed a .357 revolver and fired at the dream-world assailant. The homeowner reportedly shot himself in the leg and left a large wound due to the caliber of the gun.

Police arrived at the scene and found that Dicara had shot a hole through his leg and was losing a "significant amount of blood." Authorities rushed him to a hospital after applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. No one else was harmed by the discharge.

Police also searched the premises and quickly found that no home invasion had occurred.

Investigators confirmed that Dicara did not possess a state-mandated Firearm Owners Identification Card. In fact, it was revealed that he previously owned an identification card but it had been revoked. A reason for the revocation was not provided.

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office announced it would pursue charges against Dicara for his possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owners Identification Card, a Class 3 felony in Illinois. As well, he was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony.

A Class 3 felony can carry a sentence of five to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. A prison sentence for a Class 4 felony conviction is one to three years and can also include fines of up to $25,000.

The Daily Mail reported that Dicara's LinkedIn profile stated he is a semi-retired attorney who is licensed to practice law in Illionois and Wisconsin. He was released on $150,000 bond for the extremely rare dream-shooting incident.

In 2021, a 35-year-old Wisconsin man reportedly obtained and fired a handgun "in his sleep" and shot a 29-year-old woman. The man was arrested.

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