A man was shot by police when they responded to the wrong house in an incident that also saw the homeowner’s pet dog killed.

Police in Dekalb County, Georgia, USA, received a call about a suspicious person and rushed to what they thought was the house in question.

Having gone round to the back of the property, they found an unlocked window and door and believed the intruder to be inside.

However, after making their presence known, there was an exchange of gunfire that resulted in the homeowner being hit and his dog killed.

One of the police officers was also shot in the thigh and is said to be in a critical condition, while the homeowner’s condition is not known.

Director of public safety, Cedric Alexander, admitted that the police went to the wrong house.

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He told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “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.

“But we did respond to the wrong residence tonight.”

He added: “Our thoughts and prayers go out the homeowner.

“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.”

The police officers who responded to the call have been placed on administrative leave.

Pics: WSBTV