Man Shoots At Robbers In A Dream He's Having, Ends Up Accidentally Shooting Himself With A Very Real Bullet
Mark Dicara might have had the worst documented dream experience in the history of America.
The 62-year-old Illinois man has been hit with multiple criminal charges after he allegedly shot himself while dreaming. He wasn't dreaming about his team winning the Super Bowl or anything else enjoyable.
Dicara was dreaming that his house was being broken into, and naturally, he had to return fire in his dream. There's just one major problem:
He allegedly fired a .357 Magnum in real life and hit himself in the leg.
An Illinois man allegedly shot himself with a .357 Magnum while dreaming. (Photo by Alfred Gescheidt/Getty Images)
Lake County's local government released the following statement, in part, Tuesday about the situation:
Further investigation revealed Dicara had a dream that someone was breaking into his home. He retrieved his .357 Magnum Revolver and shot at who he believed was the intruder. When he fired, he shot himself and apparently woke up from the dream. Dicara was transported to an area hospital for treatment on his gunshot wound. The round discharged from the firearm went through Dicara’s leg and lodged itself into Dicara’s bedding. Fortunately, the round did not travel through a shared wall with Dicara’s neighbors.
It was confirmed there was not a burglary attempt at Dicara’s residence.
Sheriff’s deputies learned Dicara had a revoked FOID card, yet still possessed a firearm. The case was reviewed by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office who approved the charges of:
Possession of a Firearm without a Valid FOID Card (Class 3 Felony)
Reckless Discharge of a Firearm (Class 4 Felony)
This is an all-time bad dream moment.
Generally speaking, dreams are supposed to be enjoyable. Your brain dumps chemicals while you sleep, and more times than not, that's a good thing.
Nightmares definitely exist, but it's not what anyone hopes for. You know what else nobody wishes for? Shooting themselves with a very powerful handgun while sleeping because they thought they were engaging a threat.
How does something like this happen? Dicara must have had the revolver right on the nightstand or under his pillow. Option two is obviously much more badass, but not something I'd ever endorse.
When things took a dark turn in his dream, instincts must have kicked in and the rest is history. Imagine the horror you must feel waking up from a dream to find out you shot yourself.
Mark Dicara allegedly shot himself with a .357 Magnum while sleeping. He now faces multiple criminal charges. (Photo by Jean-Pierre REY/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Sometimes, dreams get a little too real. The demons come home to roost and all bets are off at that point. Unfortunately for Dicara, he didn't hesitate to throw some lead in his dream....that then turned out to fly in real life.
If you're a robber, I think you should steer clear of this dude's home forever. If he was willing to open fire while having a dream, just imagine what he'd do if he was awake and saw a threat?
I suffered through a similar, but less serious situation.
Also, it's easy to laugh about this situation, but allow me to poke a little fun at myself to demonstrate I can understand (sort of) how this could happen. I woke up to the sound of fighter jets roaring over my head about 13 years ago, and I legit thought WWIII had started. I 100% expected bombs to start falling. I guess that's what happens when you watch "Red Dawn" on a very regular basis.
So, it's possible to be in such a deep slumber you don't realize what's happening.
Dreams sometimes get a little too real. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Fortunately for me, I didn't start blasting away. The same can't be said for Mark Dicara. I wish him well because he's already gotten it bad enough in my opinion.