Officer accidentally shot by partner aiming at dog, Detroit police said

Hannah Mackay
The Detroit News

Detroit — A police officer was hospitalized Sunday afternoon after he was accidentally shot in the leg by his partner while responding to call about a suicide threat on the city's west side, according to media reports.

The incident took place near Hackett Street and Prevost Avenue about a potentially suicidal individual when an off-leash dog charged them at a home, officials told WDIV-TV (Channel 4). One officer discharged their weapon at the pet and accidentally hit their partner in the leg, the broadcast station said.

"The dog charged at the officers; the officers feared for their safety," an officer told WXYZ-TV (Channel 7). "One officer fired one round at the dog. The round didn't strike the dog, it struck his partner in the lower right calf."

A representative for the Detroit Police Department did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.

The officer was hospitalized in stable condition at Sinai-Grace Hospital. 

The dog was not struck by a bullet, police said.

hmackay@detroitnews.com