McDonough, GA – A Henry County police officer was shot in the face while handling a disturbance call at a dentist’s office on Thursday morning.

The officer returned fire, killing the gunman.

The incident occurred in the 300-block of Jonesboro Road at approximately 9 a.m., after Henry County police received a report of a patient causing a disturbance at a dentist’s office, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The officer reportedly struggled with the gunman, at which point shots were fired, the Henry Herald reported.

The unnamed officer was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition, Henry County Police Captain Joey Smith said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Henry County Animal Control was also called to the scene to take custody of a “vicious” dog that the gunman had left in the van he drove to the office, the Henry Herald reported.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has responded to the scene.

“The scene has been secured,” the agency said in a Facebook post. “There is no elevated risk to the public’s safety at this time.”

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