Man Who Shot Himself, Claimed It Was A Drive-By, Faces Charge: Police

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Tuesday night, Harford County sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 1100 block of Cedar Lane.

The man who had been shot initially reported that he was walking down the street, heard someone call out his name, then fired a gun from a vehicle that was driving by. But that's not really what happened, officers later learned.

According to the sheriff's office, the gunshot wound was self-inflicted.

"We are aware of the social media rumor that a drive by shooting had occurred, injuring an elderly male. Please know that this is false. All evidence supports a self-inflicted wound of a 56-year-old male," the sheriff's office disclosed.

According to WMAR, a .45 shell casing was found at John Thomas Preston Jr.'s home that matched the bullet in his leg. He now faces charges tied to filing a false police report among other charges including being prohibited from possessing firearms. A shotgun also was found inside his home, WMAR reported.