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Calif. deputy hurt when bullet meant for dog ricochets

By Will Bigham, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

MIRA LOMA- A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy suffered superficial wounds to his face Saturday night when another deputy shot at an aggressive dog and missed.

Sheriff’s investigators were unsure whether the wounds, which not considered life-threatening, were caused by the ricocheting bullet or other debris, sheriff’s Investigator Jerry Franchville said.

Deputies responded to a tip about 6 p.m. that a parolee was staying at a house on the 5800 block of Troth Street.

As the deputies approached the house with guns drawn, they were confronted by an aggressive dog, Franchville said.

After the deputy shot - misfiring and injuring his colleague - the fallen-officer report attracted dozens of police cars from several area agencies, including the California Highway Patrol and Corona Police Department.

Police blocked off neighborhood streets near the incident for hours afterward, disrupting residents’ routines.

“I came home, and I couldn’t even get in my yard,” said Laura Gonzales, who lives next door to the home where the deputy was injured.

The tip that a parolee was staying at the house was unfounded, and no one was taken into custody, Franchville said.

A woman who arrived about two hours after the incident told investigators she lived at the house, but was unwilling to comment to reporters on the shooting.

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