An Illinois man fired his gun after dreaming a burglar was in his home, police say. He ended up shooting himself in real life

By Ashley R. Williams, CNN

(CNN) — An Illinois man thought his home was being burglarized, grabbed his handgun and opened fire. But the Lake County Sheriff’s Office says it all was a dream and the 62-year-old woke up to find while his home was fine, he’d shot himself in the leg.

Now, Mark Dicara is facing felony charges over the April incident.

Dicara was arrested Monday on charges of possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owners Identification card and reckless discharge of a firearm, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

CNN was unable to reach Dicara and it is unclear whether he has an attorney.

Deputies responded on April 10 to a report of someone being shot at a home in Lake Barrington, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago, the news release said.

Dicara said he had dreamed someone was breaking into his home, grabbed his .357 Magnum revolver and fired at who he thought was a burglar, according to the news release.

He shot himself and “apparently woke up from the dream,” authorities said in the news release.

“We’ve investigated accidental or negligent shootings, however, this is the first that we can recall where someone fired a gun because of a dream they were having,” Lake County Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told CNN in an email Friday.

Deputies arrived to find Dicara “losing a significant amount of blood” from a bullet wound in his leg and applied a tourniquet as first aid, according to the release. He was later taken to a hospital for treatment.

The bullet tore through Dicara’s leg and hit his bed, authorities said.

“Fortunately, the round did not travel through a shared wall with Dicara’s neighbors,” the release read.

Authorities said they confirmed there was no burglary attempt at his home.

Dicara was released on bail after posting a $150,000 bond, according to the release. He is due in court later this month.

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