Sleeping Poughkeepsie Man Wakes, Shoots Home Intruder in the Face

In a bizarre case of self-defense, a home intruder was sent to the hospital after waking up the wrong person.

Just after 8 PM on Saturday, Poughkeepsie police received a call saying a man was shot inside an apartment on Main Street in the city.  After racing to the scene, officers were met in the hallway before they were even able to reach the apartment by a man who greeted them with a weapon.

The unloaded handgun was laid out on a table by a 46-year-old City of Poughkeepsie resident. Inside the apartment, police discovered another man suffering from a gunshot wound to the face. The injured 39-year-old was on the floor and police say it appeared the bullet entered the man's face and exited out of his neck.

The shooting victim was transported to Mid Hudson Regional Hospital and later transferred to Westchester Medical Center. Police say that even though the man was shot through his face, he only sustained soft tissue damage. As a result, the wound was not considered life-threatening.

Police interviewed the 46-year-old shooter in an effort to put together the pieces of what actually happened. According to their report, the Poughkeepsie resident says he was fast asleep in his apartment when a man jolted him awake by pointing a gun at his face. He said the intruder explained that he wanted money and threatened him with the weapon.

The awakened man said he was "scared to death" and thought he was going to be shot, so he grabbed at the gun. A struggle began between the intruder and the resident when the gun suddenly went off, shooting the 39-year-old burglar in the face.

After hearing his story, police released the shooter from custody and no charges have been filed. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old who was injured after allegedly breaking into the apartment has disappeared. Police say he left Westchester Medical Center where he was being treated and his whereabouts are now unknown. The investigation is ongoing.