An 11-year-old boy was slightly hurt by shrapnel Tuesday after a sheriff’s deputy fired at a charging family dog, grazing the animal, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The deputy from the Victor Valley sheriff’s station was called to a disturbance at a home in the 15000 block of Tournament Drive in Helendale around 9 p.m. when, according to a press release, the boy opened the door and the dog went toward the deputy “in a threatening manner.”

Initially the deputy backed away but then fired his gun toward the dog, grazing the animal’s paw and side, officials said.

“The bullet then ricocheted off of the cement of the front porch and stucco of the house, and a fragment grazed the 11-year-old boy on the outside of his left leg,” the sheriff’s statement said.

It wasn’t clear how close the dog was to the boy when the deputy opened fire.

Paramedics treated the boy for a minor injury, and he did not require hospitalization, officials said.

The owner took the dog to a nearby veterinarian and it’s expected to recover, authorities said.

Investigators from the Specialized Investigations Division were requested and are conducting the investigation.

Authorities did not specify if the deputy was placed on leave or what happened to the initial disturbance call.