An Atlanta police officer was shot and killed outside a Douglas County home during what investigators say was an apparent early-morning break-in attempt.

The Atlanta Police Department mourns the loss of Investigator Aubree Horton who died in an off-duty incident in Douglas County.

A Douglas County homeowner told investigators that he was forced to shoot and kill an off-duty Atlanta police detective after the officer tried to break into his neighbor’s home on Friday morning.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — An off-duty Atlanta Police officer working on a fugitive unit died during an incident in Douglas County on Friday, according to authorities. The officer was identified as Aubree Horton, a member of the Atlanta Police Department who joined as an officer back in November 2015.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said that it was around 5 a.m. when deputies responded to reports of an attempted burglary at a home on Orkney Way in the St. Andrews Country Club neighborhood.

A decorated Atlanta Police Department officer was shot and killed by a homeowner this week after he allegedly broke into his neighbor's house while off duty.

The officer, identified as Aubree Horton of the Atlanta Police Department, was believed to have broken into a home in his own neighborhood in Douglas County, Ga. (Credit: FOX 5)