Police in Georgia responding to wrong house shoot dog, homeowner

The three DeKalb County police officers received a call about a possible burglary Monday night. They ended up at the wrong house and gunfire erupted, leaving two people wounded and one dog dead, according to investigators.

Officers shot the homeowner in the leg and killed the dog, and the early investigation shows that police likely shot one of their own, as well, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday. The wounded officer was shot in the hip, underwent surgery and is in serious but stable condition. The homeowner was treated and released from a hospital.

The episode unfolded when someone called 911 to report suspicious activity and gave a description of a tan, brick one-story home. While the house that police went to matched the 911 description, it wasn’t the right one, the GBI said.

“What’s very complicated about this is that they did respond to a location which did meet the description given to them by the caller and by 911, and when they came to the rear of the house, there was an unlocked screen and unlocked door,” DeKalb County Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander told reporters Monday. “That in of itself would probably suggest to anyone that it was possible that there could be intruders inside. But it turned out not to be the case.”

Police went into the house from the rear, encountered the dog in the kitchen and shot and killed the animal.

Then, the homeowner left the kitchen and police shot him. It’s unclear at what point an officer was shot, but the GBI described it as an accidental shooting by a fellow officer.

GBI spokesman Scott Dutton couldn’t confirm whether the three officers responded to the burglary call together or separately. Per protocol, the agency will conduct an independent investigation, the results of which will be turned over to the district attorney to consider any possible charges.

The officers were placed on administrative leave, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.