Atlanta police officer Aubree Horton was shot while breaking into a neighbor's home

An off-duty Georgia police officer who was named “Investigator of the Year” was fatally shot Friday morning as he tried to break into his neighbor's home, officials said.

Aubree Horton, a nine-year veteran of the Atlanta Police Department, is accused of entering a residence through the front door in Winston, Georgia, when he confronted the homeowner.

The incident occurred around 5 a.m. when Douglas County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call about an attempted burglary in the St. Andrews Country Club neighborhood.

Officials believe Horton was having a mental health episode or was under the influence of drugs.

“Upon gaining entry, the homeowner pulled out a firearm in self-defense and shot the individual,” Capt. John Mauney said, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Horton lived just a half-mile around the block from where he was killed.

Neighbors in the area were shocked by the shooting.

“I’ve lived here for five years and I can promise you, this is not what you see out here,” Milton Johnston told the outlet.

“It's right here in your neighborhood, in a golf community and in a place where you really think something like this would never happen,” another neighbor said.

Horton joined the Atlanta Police Department in November 2015 and was most recently assigned to APD's fugitive unit, the department said.

He was named “Investigator of the Year” at the ADP “Crime is Toast” awards breakfast on Sept. 24, the department announced on Facebook.

Horton received the award in connection with a case involving missing 21-year-old Leondre Flynt, whose remains were discovered in July.

Three people were arrested in connection with the death.

“It was a completely mysterious case,” Horton said during a video played at the ceremony. “I felt like this family deserved justice. They hadn't found the body yet. This was a complex investigation.”

Three people were arrested in connection with the death.

“It was a great blessing to me that the family was separated,” Horton said. They were able to hold someone accountable. That’s what I like to do in police work: bring people closure.”