A Schuylkill County man fired a handgun four times inside his apartment Friday morning at what he claimed were “hologram people” attacking him, police say.
Police in Minersville say they were called to the 500 block of Sunbury St. shortly after 6 a.m. after David Weidner, 62, called 9-1-1 to report the shooting at his apartment. As they arrived on the scene and made initial contact with Weidner, police say they located a black 9mm handgun in his right pants pocket. The weapon was secured, and police confirmed Weidner did not possess a concealed carry permit, as he had stated to officers.
Weidner told police he was lying on his bedroom floor when he saw “hologram type people” attempting to attack him. He stated he fired one shot at his closed bedroom door, opened the door, and fired a second shot at the wall across from his bedroom, police say.
Taking a cover position from his bedroom, Weidner told police he fired a third shot down the hallway into the living room, aiming at a black trash bag on the floor. He then moved to a nearby bathroom, took another cover position, and fired a fourth shot down the hallway at the trash bag again, police say. Weidner stated he then left the residence with the firearm in his pocket to find a phone and call 9-1-1.
A search of the apartment corroborated Weidner’s statement, police say. Police located two shell casings inside the bedroom and two shell casings in the hallway. Police also observed a bullet hole in the bedroom door, two bullet holes in the hallway walls, and two bullet holes in the living room trash bag.
The residence is part of an attached series of row homes, and police say the apartments above and to the sides of Weidner’s residence were occupied during the incident.
Weidner is being charged with felony counts of discharging a firearm inside a structure and carrying without a license as well as a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Christian Lengel, who set bail at $50,000, and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison.
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