Man pulls into wrong driveway by mistake, is shot and killed by homeowner
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A Gwinnett County man is accused of shooting and killing a man who friends said pulled into the wrong driveway.
Phillip Walker Sailors, 69, of Lilburn, was booked into the Gwinnett County jail Sunday afternoon and charged with murder for the death of Rodrigo Abad Diaz, according to jail records and his arrest warrant.
Diaz, 22, was shot in the head Saturday night as he tried to drive away from Sailors’ home on Hillcrest Road in Lilburn, the warrant states.
Lilburn police declined to release further information about the case, citing the ongoing investigation in an email Tuesday to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“At this point we have established probable cause to charge Mr. Sailors and when the investigation is complete, we will turn over the case file to the Gwinnett County District Attorneys Officer for processing,” Lilburn police Chief Bruce Hedley said. “To preserve the integrity of the case, I will not be releasing further information concerning this incident.”
Friends of Diaz, of Duluth, told Channel 2 Action News that he and others were trying to find a friend’s house, but their GPS instead led them to the home on Hillcrest Road, off Indian Trail Road.
After seeing the car in his driveway, Sailors came out of his home, went back inside, then came out again with a gun and shot in the air, Yeson Jimenez, 15, told Channel 2. Jimenez said he and his brother were in the car with Diaz, along with a female passenger.
Diaz tried to drive away, but Sailors shot again, striking Diaz in the head, according to police.
An attorney for Sailors told Channel 2 the man shot because he feared his life was in danger.
“He is very distraught over the loss of life from the defense of his home,” attorney Michael Puglise said. “This incident happened late in the evening hours when he was home with his wife and he assumed it was a home invasion and he maintains his innocence.”
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/man-69-acc ... -ho/nT8xp/ R.I.P.