An afternoon wellness check turned unexpectedly violent for two Cobb County police officers Friday when one of them was attacked by a dog, then injured by the other officer’s protective gunfire.

The officers responded to the 5000 block of Maxham Road in Austell about 1 p.m. to check on a report of a child living in a shack behind a residence, Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a news release.

They did not find a child, but one officer was attacked by a dog on the property, Delk said. The second officer fired multiple gunshots at the dog, but one round hit the other officer in the hand.

The officer was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and treated for both the gunshot wound and dog bites, Delk said.

The dog was picked up by Cobb Animal Control, but police did not know its current status, Delk said.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A Korean Air plane takes off from Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. The plane is chartered to bring back Korean workers detained in an immigration raid in Georgia. (Yonhap via AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

Delta employees are under investigation because of content “related to the recent murder of activist Charlie Kirk” that “went well beyond healthy, respectful debate,” CEO Ed Bastian wrote in a companywide memo Friday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez