Chicago-area man shoots himself while dreaming of intruder, then arrested on gun charges

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. — An Illinois man shot himself in his sleep with a .357 Magnum while he was dreaming about an intruder breaking into his home, officials say.

As if wounding himself in the leg was not punishment enough, the man ended up being arrested because his Firearm Owners Identification Card had been revoked, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened April 10. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home in Lake Barrington, in the northeastern suburbs of Chicago, that night around 9:50 p.m. on a report of a person being shot.

They found Mark M. Dicara, 62, with a wound to his leg and losing a significant amount of blood. Deputies applied a tourniquet and he was then transported to an area hospital for treatment, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators said Dicara had a dream that someone was breaking into his home, prompting him to grab his .357 Magnum revolver and shoot at what he thought was an intruder.

He shot himself and then woke up with a gunshot wound to the leg, the sheriff’s office said. The bullet went through his leg and was lodged in his bed, the sheriff’s office said.

“Fortunately, the round did not travel through a shared wall with Dicara’s neighbors,” the sheriff’s office observed.

The sheriff’s office said there was no burglary attempt at Dicara’s residence and that he possessed a gun despite having his FOID card revoked.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office then charged Dicara with possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Dicara was arrested Monday and has been released after posting bond.