Police: Suspected Central Texas burglar shot himself with stolen pistol

Investigators think a man officers found with a gunshot wound after responding to a report of a home burglary Wednesday morning in a Waco neighborhood accidentally shot himself in the leg with a stolen .22 caliber pistol.

The man, whose name has not been released, claimed someone else had shot him, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said.

He was taken to a local hospital for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the right inside thigh, Swanton said.

“We are thinking the story about his friend shooting him may be bogus,” he said.

Officers responded at around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to a report of a break-in at a home in the 1000 block of North 66th Street where they learned a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black pants had taken several items including a .22 pistol.

Thirty minutes later officers were dispatched to 5511 Tennyson Drive after police received a report of a shooting.

“The alleged victim with the gunshot wound matched the earlier burglary suspect by clothing and physical description,” Swanton said.

Officers recovered items stolen from the home on North 66th including the .22 pistol.

“It is believed this is the weapon the victim accidentally shot himself with,” Swanton said.

They also recovered other items including an AR-15 that was reported stolen in an earlier break-in on April 24.

“Our investigation is ongoing and the ‘shooting victim’ is now a person of interest in several cases,” Swanton said.