Homeowner fatally shoots decorated off-duty cop who reportedly broke into residence at 5 a.m.

A Georgia homeowner fatally shot a decorated, off-duty Atlanta police officer who reportedly broke into a neighboring residence at 5 a.m. Friday — and authorities are calling the shooting self-defense.

Atlanta police identified the officer as Investigator Aubree Horton, WAGA-TV reported.

'I've lived here for five years, and I can promise you, this isn't something you expect to see here.'

Horton was selected as Investigator of the Year at the Atlanta Police Foundation's 20th Annual "Crime is Toast" Awards on Sept. 24.

The incident occurred at a home on Orkney Way near East Carroll Road in the St. Andrews Country Club neighborhood, WAGA said.

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds told the station that 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 told WAGA. "Once inside, the homeowner produced a firearm in self-defense and shot the individual." Pounds said the individual in question died.

The deadly shooting shocked neighbors, the station said.

"I've lived here for five years, and I can promise you, this isn't something you expect to see here," resident Milton Johnston told WAGA.

Authorities told the station that Horton also lived in the neighborhood — about a half-mile from the scene — and may have been experiencing a mental health episode or under the influence of narcotics.

"We believe the burglar lived in the neighborhood," Pounds noted to WAGA. "This is an active investigation, and there are many details we're still working to uncover."

Atlanta police confirmed in a statement that Horton — who had been with the department since November 2015 and most recently was assigned to the Fugitive Unit — was off duty at the time of the incident, the station said.

"We are working closely with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to learn more about what occurred as they continue to investigate," the police department's statement read, according to WAGA.

You can view video reports here and here, about the incident.

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