BELLEVILLE, Ill., Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A 69-year-old Illinois man who did not realize he had been shot by a burglar died of the wound days later, police said.
Robert Bunn Sr., who lived alone in Belleville, called police Jan. 8 after he was awakened by someone in his house and struggled with the invader, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. Police Capt. Donald Sax said that Bunn thought the man had hit him in the face with a pipe.
Bunn rejected medical treatment for his injury, Sax said.
Carole Bunn, his ex-wife, found him dead on Tuesday, five days after the burglary. Sax said police were unsure exactly when he died, although detectives had talked to him since the home invasion.
The autopsy turned up a small-caliber bullet, making the crime a homicide, Sax said.
Jane Ponder, one of Bunn's five children, said that the elderly in Belleville need more protection, the newspaper reported.
"Belleville is not the Belleville it used to be; now it's scary," Ponder said. "My mom and dad have been here for 20 years, and lately, there's been more crimes against people who can't defend themselves. I think this is something that needs to be addressed."
