“No, kill me,” Horton said in the video, before slamming into the door again.
He then sits on the steps of the house, puts his hands on his face, and takes a deep breath while the homeowner can be heard shouting his wife’s name and asking Horton who he is. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the homeowner was in bed when he heard the commotion outside.
At one point, Horton simply says “I love you,” before screaming and lying down on the front porch. Then he stops when he hears the owner of the house approaching the door.
Explore Atlanta’s ‘Detective of the Year’ fatally shot after home invasion
The sheriff’s office said there was a previous burglary at the home in 2021 that led to the homeowner installing security measures, such as cameras and shoring up exterior doors.
“Concerned for his safety and the safety of his wife, whom he knew had just left for work but believed was still home, the homeowner armed himself and approached the front door,” the sheriff’s office said.
The homeowner then tried to reach out to Horton and ask him if he could help, before Horton forced himself inside, knocking the homeowner to the ground after he broke the door slightly trying to see what was happening, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Fearing for his life and defending his home, the homeowner fired a single shot from his firearm, fatally wounding Horton inside his home,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said the two did not know each other and there had been no domestic disturbance involving Horton prior to the incident. The initial investigation revealed that Horton appeared to be suffering from a “mental health crisis or under the influence of drugs.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution requested reports, including toxicology reports, on the incident.
The toxicology report will take months to complete, the sheriff’s office said, and the full report on the incident has not yet been completed because the sheriff’s office is “awaiting basic evidence.”
The sheriff’s office said some portions of the video have been deleted and will be available when the case is closed, including the sound of the fatal shot and the homeowner speaking to Patrol Officer Douglas, who lives nearby, heard the commotion and rushed to help. .
When Sheriff’s Office investigators arrived at the scene, they were initially unable to identify Horton because he did not have identification and was not wearing shoes or a shirt. They were eventually able to identify him using a portable fingerprint scanner, and further investigation revealed that he lived within walking distance of the shooting. It was later confirmed that he worked for the Atlanta Police.
Horton, 32, has been with the department for nearly 10 years and was recently named “Detective of the Year” at the Atlanta Police Foundation’s annual “Crime is Toast” gala. Horton, who was recently assigned to the department’s fugitive unit, had no law enforcement experience before joining CPS in November 2015.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing, but after reviewing the facts of the case, they do not believe charges will be filed against the homeowner.
