The officer was responding outside Fairburn city limits when gunfire wounded a resident and two family dogs early Thursday.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is reviewing a shooting involving a Fairburn police officer who opened fire at dogs outside a home in neighboring South Fulton early Thursday, striking a resident in the foot and raising questions investigators will now examine about the encounter.
The shooting happened shortly after midnight in the 300 block of Bishop Road near Herndon Road. According to an initial police account, Fairburn officers were investigating a report involving a woman in the roadway and approached a nearby home to gather information. When the door opened, police said dogs ran toward an officer, who fired at them and struck a resident.
The resident was later identified in local reporting as Dustin Lackey. Police described his foot injury as not life-threatening. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment and had returned home by Thursday morning. Lackey said the bullet remained in his foot.
Two dogs at the home also were struck. Lackey said they were his German shepherd and pit bull. Both survived and were receiving treatment at a veterinary clinic after animal control took them from the property. No law enforcement officer was reported injured.
The location of the shooting became an important part of the early response. The officer who fired works for the Fairburn Police Department, but authorities later confirmed the home is inside South Fulton. South Fulton officers arrived after the gunfire and did not fire their weapons, according to police.
Fairburn police said the case was referred to the GBI, which investigates many shootings involving law enforcement officers in Georgia when requested by local agencies. The referral places an outside state agency in charge of examining the circumstances rather than leaving the investigation solely with the department whose officer fired the shots.
The initial police report and Lackey’s account differ on parts of the encounter. Police said dogs ran toward the officer after the door opened. Lackey said officers had come to the home after his sister experienced a mental health crisis and that the officers did not identify themselves before knocking hard enough for the door to open.
Lackey said he later moved toward one of his dogs because he was trying to bring the animal back inside. He said the officer fired again while he was attempting to secure the dog. Authorities had not publicly released a detailed sequence of each shot or announced whether video of the encounter exists.
The name of the Fairburn officer had not been publicly released as of Thursday morning. Authorities also had not announced any determination about the officer’s actions. Those questions remain unresolved while investigators gather evidence and compare witness accounts with the initial reports from the scene.
The GBI investigation was continuing Thursday as Lackey recovered at home and the two dogs remained under veterinary care. Further details about the shooting, including the officer’s identity and the investigative findings, had not yet been released.
Author note: Last updated September 24, 2026.