andy grimm
Photographer Andy Grimm was shot while trying to set up his tripod and camera Facebook

A police officer shot an Ohio news photographer after mistaking his camera for a weapon, according to the journalist's newspaper.

Andy Grimm was taking photographs of a traffic stop in New Carlisle when he was reportedly shot by a Clark County Sheriff's Office deputy.

The incident on Monday evening (4 September) saw the wounded cameraman taken to Miami Valley Hospital for surgery.

He is expected to make a full recovery, his employer New Carlisle News said.

The shooting is now being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Grimm said it was around 10pm when he was taking photographs of a lightning storm passing over the town, about 20 miles north of Dayton.

He said he spotted the traffic stop and decided to get out of his jeep to take some pictures.

As he set up his tripod and camera, they were reportedly mistaken for a weapon by a deputy and Grimm was shot in the side.

"I turned around toward the cars and then 'pop, pop,'" Grimm later said. "I was just doing my job."

He claimed the deputy gave him no warning before opening fire. Grimm said he knows and likes the officer who shot him, and doesn't want him to lose his job.