DeKalb officer shot, critical after responding to wrong house

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (WSBTV) — A DeKalb County police officer, who was shot after responding to a burglary call at the wrong house Monday night, is in critical condition. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting of the officer and homeowner, who police said is expected to be OK. DeKalb County Director of Public Safety Cedric Alexander told Channel 2 Action News police officers were called to the 1500 block of Boulderwoods Drive off Bouldercrest Road for a report of a suspicious person in the neighborhood Monday night. Alexander said the caller did not give a numerical address, only a description of a home where the suspicious person was seen. Alexander said the officers found a home they thought fit the description and went into a backyard. Officers noticed the back door was unlocked and went inside, and for an unknown reason, gunfire erupted. “It was determined that a dog was shot and killed inside the residence,” Alexander said. “A DeKalb County officer was shot as well.” The officer was shot in the thigh. It was later determined the officers were sent to the wrong house. Police never suggested the homeowner had a gun or threatened the officer. They did confirm the house they should have gone to is further down the street. “Our thoughts and prayers go out the homeowner,” Alexander said. “And our thoughts and prayers go out to the officer who suffered a severe, critical injury here tonight and lost a lot of blood. We just hope both of them recover well.” Neighbor Bob Gilman has lived next door to the home where the shooting happened since 1971. He says the neighborhood has seen a lot of crime. “This is a rough area. We have a lot of crime … robberies, burglaries, shootings,” Gilman said. Alexander said because of the nature of the investigation, they have handed it over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. There were a total of three officers that responded to the incident. All of them will be placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.