COLUMBUS, Ohio » Columbus police says one of its officers accidentally shot a 4-year-old girl in the leg when he fired at a charging dog.

It’s unclear how it happened, but the officer fired his gun at the dog at a residence in the suburb of Whitehall on Friday, and the child was hit. She was in stable condition at a hospital and was expected to be OK.

Media reports said the officer, who hasn’t been named, was flagged down by a woman who said her sister had cut herself on some glass. He was approaching the house to help when the dog charged him.