Warning: This article contains details some readers may find upsetting
The chilling footage of an off-duty Atlanta cop's final moments before being shot dead has shocked the online community.
It was only last Friday (October 4) that Aubree Horton was shot and killed as he allegedly broke into a home in Winston, around 30 miles from Atlanta, US.
The police investigator was caught on the homeowner’s Ring doorbell camera running around the yard without a shirt on, yelling and banging on the door.
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He was also seen muttering strange things to himself, which included him asking to be killed, and asking for Jesus to save him.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Horton was killed after 5:08 a.m. after being spotted by the homeowner's wife, who called 911 while she was on her way to work.
Allegedly, she had received alerts from her camera showing Horton running around her property.
Unfortunately, Horton reportedly forced his way into the home and was fatally shot by the homeowner before law enforcement arrived.
Horton was part of the Atlanta Police Department, where he had worked from 2015.
He had been assigned to the department's Fugitive Unit and even named ‘Investigator of the Year’ at the 2024 Atlanta Police Foundation's annual Crime is Toast event.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office went on to release partial footage of the doorbell camera, showing Horton seemingly in a stage of panic.
In the video, Horton yelled ‘Jesus’ and ‘help me’ before staring ‘I’m home’ as he approached the front door. He then body slammed the door twice and said: “No, kill me."
When Horton sat down, the homeowner attempted to communicate with him through the door.
Then, the officer said ‘I love you’ and ‘just kill me’ before lying down, then deciding to get back up and approach the door again.
The sheriff’s office stated that it was when the homeowner opened the door slightly, Horton forced his way into the home and knocked down the homeowner, who then shot him in self defense.
The office said: "Fearing for his life and in defense of his home, the homeowner discharged a single round from his firearm, fatally wounding Horton inside his home.”
According to investigators, Horton lived within walking distance of the home he died in.
The sheriff's office noted in a preliminary report on October 5 that Horton ‘appeared on video to be experiencing a mental health episode or under the influence of narcotics.’
However, it could take months to complete a toxicology report and to gather evidence of what took place that morning.
Even though the man shot and killed the off-duty cop, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said that it was ‘confident that no charges will be filed against the homeowner.’
People who watched the video online were naturally quite shocked over what they saw, as one person wrote: “Dude was going through something for sure. Almost like he was being chased by demons and they got exactly the outcome they wanted…”
Another said: “It's a heartbreaking scene, and witnessing such moments is very difficult.”
UNILAD has reached out to the Atlanta Police Department for comment.
Britt Jones