A Natchez man shot four times by a man who may have been defending

his house from a break-in walked out of the hospital on his own

accord Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies said.

John Myles, 45, 94 East Wilderness Road apparently shot Darryl

Thomas, 32, 1244 Daisy St., after it is believed Thomas broke

into Myles’ residence, said Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell.

After the shooting, Thomas was admitted to Natchez Community

Hospital for &uot;less than lethal wounds&uot; but later got

up and ran off into the woods, Ferrell said. Thomas has not been

located.

Myles called 911 at about 9:11 p.m Tuesday to say someone was

trying to break into his house, Ferrell said.

Myles later called back and told dispatchers he had shot the

suspect, who had fled the scene by the time deputies arrived.

A witness at the residence confirmed Myles’ story, Ferrell

said.

Myles shot Thomas with a .38-caliber pistol with just a few

feet separating the two suspects, Ferrell said.

Deputies said bullets struck Thomas twice in the stomach, once

in the upper right arm and once across the back.

Myles has not been charged with a crime because the Adams County

Grand Jury must decided if he acted in self defense, Ferrell said.

&uot;We are not allowed to make that decision in law enforcement,&uot;

Ferrell said. &uot;I’m not going to arrest the guy and charge

him with aggravated assault because I don’t know if it was aggravated

assault.&uot;

The sheriff’s department plans to present the case to the grand

jury in November.

Thomas has also not been charged with a crime, but Myles has

the option of filing charges against Thomas for breaking and entering,

Ferrell said.

After the shooting, deputies found Thomas traveling on Martin

Luther King Jr. Road in a vehicle with its emergency lights blinking.

A deputy on his way to the shooting pulled over the vehicle

carrying Thomas and two juveniles, Ferrell said.

Ferrell said the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute and

involved drugs and alcohol. Deputies also issued a citation for

a small quantity of marijuana found at the residence.