LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. — A 62-year-old man is facing firearms charges in Illinois after authorities say he accidentally shot himself in the leg in his sleep —while dreaming that he was defending himself against an "intruder" in his home.
The man, identified as Mark Dicara of Lake Barrington, used a .357 Magnum revolver that he owned to fire the shot at around 9:50 p.m. on April 10, the Lake County government said in a news release issued on Tuesday. According to Lake County sheriff's deputies, on the night of the incident Dicara dreamed someone was breaking into his home, and retrieved the gun to shoot at whomever he believed was the "intruder."
But, when he fired the revolver, Dicara shot himself in the leg instead and woke from the dream, a subsequent investigation found. Authorities also confirmed during the probe that an attempted burglary did not happen at Dicara's residence, and there was no intruder on his property.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene after receiving a call reporting a person with a gunshot wound at the residence, the county said. They found Dicara when they arrived, suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg and losing what they described as a "significant amount of blood." It was later determined that the round discharged from his gun went through the leg and lodged itself in his bedding, so no one else was harmed. Deputies applied a tourniquet to the leg after finding Dicara and transported him to a hospital in the area for treatment.
During the investigation that followed, authorities realized that Dicara owned and used the revolver despite not having a Firearm Owners Identification card, which is mandatory in Illinois in order to legally possess a gun. Authorities said Dicara's identification card had previously been revoked, although they did not share details as to why. The Lake County State's Attorney's Office approved two charges for Dicara, for possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card and reckless discharge of a firearm. They are considered Class 3 and Class 4 felonies, respectively.
Dicara was arrested in Lake County on Monday and then released after posting $150,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 29.
