Homeowner Injured and Dog Killed After Police Respond to Wrong House
A homeowner was injured and his dog killed when three Georgia police officers responded to the wrong residence after receiving a report of a suspicious person on Monday night, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
A Dekalb County police officer was critically injured as well, the director of public affairs, Cedric Alexander, said. The officer was in critical condition and underwent surgery. He had been shot in the thigh. The homeowner’s condition was unknown. He was also being treated.
According to the Journal-Constitution, the officers went to a home matching the description given by the 911 caller who reported the suspicious person:
When officers got to the rear of the house, they found an unlocked screen and unlocked door and believed an intruder was inside, according to police. Officers announced their presence, but it wasn’t known how it escalated to gunfire.
Both an officer and a homeowner, whose names were not released, were shot and a dog was killed inside the home, Alexander said. But officers determined it was not the correct home.
“The residence that these officers responded to is the wrong residence that was in question,” Alexander said.
At least one of the cops fired his gun. It is not known whether the homeowner, who has not been identified, also had a gun. “A lot is yet to be determined here as to what and when shots were fired, how the officer received injuries, how the homeowner received injuries,” Alexander said. “But we did respond to the wrong residence tonight.”
The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.
Image via WSBTV. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.