A Maryland Man 'Making a Lot of Noise' Couldn't Find the Remote Control. Then, His Roommate Shot Him and Went Back to Sleep, Cops Say.

A man in Maryland was taken into custody after he allegedly shot his roommate in what he claimed was an act of self-defense, but he admitted to calling 911 only after he went back to sleep and bought some marijuana, authorities claimed.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 10, Richard Bennaugh, 38, allegedly said he was sleeping in the living room on the second floor when he woke up to his roommate, 27-year-old Domonique Scott Hayes, “making a lot of noise,” according to court documents obtained by WRC.

Several minutes later, Hayes allegedly yelled about what happened to a missing TV remote. Bennaugh said he ignored Hayes but heard him walking behind the sofa, continuing to demand to know where the remote was, the court records show.

Bennaugh claimed he took off a blanket covering his head and saw Hayes holding two large knives. Bennaugh then allegedly grabbed his own gun and pointed it at Hayes, officials said.

Hayes initially backed off, but then began approaching Bennaugh, who he said he did not believe would shoot him, court documents state.

According to the documents, Bennaugh responded, “There’s only one way to find out,” pointed the gun at Hayes and allegedly opened fire on Hayes.

Bennaugh told police that Hayes ran upstairs to his room on the third floor. The suspected shooter allegedly claimed he saw bullet holes but no blood, so he didn’t think he hit Hayes and went back to sleep.

Later in the day, Bennaugh said he drove to a friend’s house in Lanham to talk about what happened, picked up marijuana at a dispensary and then returned home to smoke, authorities said.

He picked up the fired bullet casings and flushed them down the toilet and swept up dust from a damaged wall, court records claim.

After speaking with several people, Bennaugh called 911 and officers responded to the home around 12:30 p.m.

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Police found Haye lying face down in his bedroom, dead from gunshot wounds, with a knife in each hand and a third in his waistband.

Bennaugh was arrested and charged with manslaughter, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and possession of a firearm as someone convicted of a violent felony, officials said.