HILLSDALE, MI - According to the Michigan State Police, a Hillsdale County Sheriff’s deputy bitten by a dog, killed the animal, and then fatally shot the angry owner who confronted him with a knife.

The incident happened in Hillsdale County's Reading Township after the deputy responded to a call about a dog on the loose.

Reports indicate when the deputy made contact at the residence of the dog, the deputy was immediately “attacked by the dog and bit”. Michigan State Police said in a written statement. “The deputy fired shots at the dog, which resulted in killing the dog”.

The MSP’s statement said the deputy also shot the dog's owner, Oscar Herrera, after he confronted the deputy with a knife.

The deputy, whose name wasn't released, was treated at a hospital for dog bites. State police detectives were assigned to investigate the shootings.

The Hillsdale Daily News reported that Herrera was arrested in March after a complaint about him firing shots into the woods near his home and yelling.