An off-duty Atlanta police officer was shot and killed while reportedly breaking into a house in Douglas County, west of the city. Investigator Aubree Horton was recently named "Officer of the Year" at the "Crime is Toast" breakfast.
The incident occurred around 5 a.m. Friday at a home on Orkney Way near E. Carroll Road in the St. Andrews Country Club neighborhood. Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds said deputies responded to a burglary call at the scene of the shooting. "On an attempted burglary, we understand that an individual attempted to gain entry into the residence," the sheriff explained. "Once inside, the homeowner produced a firearm in self-defense and shot the individual. At this time, the individual is deceased."
No charges were filed or said to be pending against the homeowner. "Authorities" told Fox 5 Atlanta that Horton "may have been experiencing a mental health episode or under the influence of narcotics."
