Dallas Police Officer Mistakenly Shoots Son, Thought He Was An Intruder

An off-duty Dallas-area police officer mistook his adult son for an intruder and shot him in the right forearm.

The incident occurred at about 6 p.m. on Saturday at the officer’s DeSoto, Texas, home. The son, who is in his 20s, was taken to a hospital shortly afterward and treated for a non-fatal injury, according to reports.

No arrests have been made in the incident though an investigation is ongoing.

“It was a startling situation, it was an accident,” Pete Schulte, DeSoto Police Department spokesman, told the CBS affiliate in Dallas. “And fortunately, we're very happy that it did not result in serious bodily injury or death… The DeSoto Police Department has treated this like every other case that we would have had and we would've handled it the exact same way that if any charges are appropriate later on, they'll be forwarded over to the DA's office for them to make a decision.”

The department referred to the unnamed officer as a “long-time veteran.”

The garage door of the officer’s home had been open and several other doors were unlocked, leading him to suspect an intruder, as he was not aware that his son had returned home. Schulte said the officer had told police he wanted to check the house before he "wasted a call to 911."

DeSoto is located roughly 15 miles south of Dallas.