An Illinois man who police say shot himself in the leg while he was dreaming about burglars has been charged with firearms offenses, officials said Tuesday.
The 62-year-old Lake Barrington man survived the accidental April shooting, and no one else was hurt, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was charged with possessing a firearm with a revoked Firearm Owners Identification, which is required in Illinois, and reckless discharge of a firearm, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The man was arrested on a warrant Monday and is free after he posted bond, the sheriff’s office said.
The shooting happened about 9:50 p.m. April 10, and first responders needed to use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, the sheriff’s office said.
The man “had a dream that someone was breaking into his home” and fired a .357-caliber revolver, it said. The bullet went into the bed, it said.
“When he fired, he shot himself and apparently woke up from the dream,” the sheriff’s office statement said.
Investigators found no evidence of a burglary, it said.
It was not clear from the statement why the firearm identification card, called a FOID, had been revoked.
Online court records did not appear to show an attorney for the man, who was charged Tuesday evening.
In Illinois, gun owners are required to have a Firearm Owners Identification card to legally possess firearms or ammunition, according to state police.
Lake Barrington is a village of around 5,000 about 35 miles northwest of downtown Chicago
