Imagine accidentally shooting yourself with your own gun, and then blaming an imaginary black person to cover up for your stupidity.

That's exactly what happened when Brent P. Ahlers, 35, told a lie in September that endangered the freedom of every black man in the city of St. Paul, Minnensota.

Not only that, but his lie put the campus of St. Catherine University on lockdown for hours as 55 police officers, four K-9 units and Minnesota State Patrol aircraft wasted time, resources and taxpayer dollars looking for the fictitious gunman.

Despite this, it looks like he won't face jail time.

According to the Pioneer Press,  Ramsey County District Judge Nicole Starr ordered Ahlers to pay about $4,500 in restitution for the expense incurred by law enforcement who spent hours hunting for the fictitious assailant. 

He will also avoid jail time if he attends six sessions of a group led by Ramsey County District Judge George Stephenson for men whose lives have intersected with the criminal justice system. Most of the men in the group are black. After the six sessions, Ahlers will have to report back to Starr on what he learned about the impact his actions had on the African American community. Starr also prohibited Ahlers from possessing or owning a firearm during his one-year probation.

If Ahlers doesn’t meet the conditions, Starr said she will send him to jail for 60 days.

“I am sorry for the event in general and the fear and pain I caused,” Ahlers said.

Ahlers told investigators that he accidentally shot himself while handling his personal handgun and lied about it out of fear of losing his job. He concocted a story that included telling officers that his assailant fired after Ahlers busted him smoking marijuana on the campus. Ahlers told authorities the shooter was a black male with “a short Afro."

Some believe this sentencing is too light, including Tyrone Terrill, president of the African American Leadership Council.

“He should have gotten the maximum on everything,” Terrill said. “When you say you have an active shooter in the community … it’s only by the grace of God that nobody got hurt.”