Someone explain to me why these cops would want to alienate law-abiding, crime-fighting homeowners, one of the most police-friendly constituencies on the planet?

A Tennessee man found himself behind bars this week after returning fire at thieves who were trying to steal a van outside his home.

The homeowner reportedly saw, via his home security system, the thieves breaking into a van. He walked out onto his porch, after which the crooks fired shots at him.

He returned fire (this was Tennessee, after all), but apparently nobody was hit and the thieves fled the scene. When police arrived, however, they began interrogating the homeowner over the incident, with his wife claiming they were "trying to find ways to charge him."

One thing the police reportedly did determine was that the guy's ability to handle a firearm responsibly leaves, well, a little something to be desired:

Deputies say the man told them that he couldn't clearly see what he was targeting and admitted to firing shots with his eyes closed due to being scared and shooting at the suspects as they fled, the outlet noted.

Who knows what the homeowner actually said; maybe he admitted to this or maybe he said something vaguely like it and the police just went with it.

Regardless, they put him in cuffs and charged him with "reckless endangerment," though he was later released, and his family "hopes the charge will be dropped."

You can see footage of the shooting in this news broadcast: