A 69-year-old homeowner shot and killed a young man after police say the 22-year-old mistakenly pulled into his home's driveway because of a GPS error.
Phillip Walker Sailers of Lilburn, Georgia told police he thought Rodrigo Abad Diaz and his friends were home invaders when he started firing at their vehicle on Saturday night.
Sailors, a Vietnam veteran, is now being held on a malice murder charge after he fatally shot Diaz in the head, a charge his attorney says has left him 'very distraught.'
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Fatal mistake: Phillip Walker Sailers, 69, is accused of fatally shooting 22-year-old Rodrigo Abad Diaz, right, after he mistakenly pulled into his home's driveway on Saturday night
Witnesses inside the vehicle, who were mostly teens, say Sailor didn't ask questions when he came out of his home, he just started shooting at them.
'"Shut up," that's the only thing that came out of his mouth,' Yeson Jimezez who was in that vehicle with his brother and a female passenger told WSBRadio.com.
The teens say it was their GPS that mistakenly led them to the house on Hillcrest Road while looking for a friend's home.
After Sailors grabbed his gun from inside, he returned '...shooting a .22 caliber pistol in the direction of the victim, while the victim was driving his car away...' according to the arrest warrant.
Sailors' attorney, Michael Puglise, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the 69-year-old was home with his wife that night and assumed the young man pulled up for a home invasion.
'He is very distraught over the loss of life from the defense of his home,' Puglise said of Sailors' handling of the Diaz' death.
Protecting: Sailors told police he thought Diaz and the other passengers in his vehicle were home invaders, his house pictured, and maintains his innocence in the man's death
'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,' he said.
Sailors is being held without bond as of Sunday afternoon. Police say he has no prior record or trouble with the law.
Lilburn police declined to release additional information about the circumstances of the shooting.
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