Man Shot and Killed While Breaking Into Snellville Home: Police

SNELLVILLE, GA — A man who was shot and killed in Snellville on Friday was attempting to burglarize the home where he was shot, police say.

Michael Silva, 25, of Snellville, had climbed through a bathroom window of the home, on the 3500 block of Hadley Place, shortly before 4 a.m., according to Gwinnett County Police.

The homeowner told police that he and his wife awoke to the sound of someone entering their home. The husband retrieved a firearm and went to investigate the sounds, police say.

When he went into the bathroom, police say he discovered Silva climbing through the window and shot him once in the face.

It appeared that Silva used a ladder to reach the window of the second-floor master bathroom, police say. They believe Silva, who lived less than half a mile from the home where he was shot, intended to rob the home.

The homeowners have been questioned and released and no charges will be filed in the shooting, police said.

"The homeowner was well within the boundaries of Georgia law's defense of habitation statute," police spokesman Cpl. Deon Washington said.