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The scene at a Greenville home where a homeowner shot and killed an intruder on Saturday, Sept. 6

(John Tunison | MLive Media)

GREENVILLE, MI -- A 27-year-old man who walked naked into a Greenville home, before he was shot and killed after a confrontation with the homeowner, had been drinking in earlier hours.

The man who was shot to death has been identified as John Sherman Russell III of Gowen.

Greenville Public Safety Director Mark Reiss said the homeowner found the naked man sleeping on his couch sometime after 7 a.m.

The homeowner went to get a shotgun, then tried waking Russell.

"The homeowner says the man got quite belligerent and at some point combative, then either grabbed or swatted the barrel of the shotgun," Reiss said.

"The homeowner then discharged one round into his torso," he said.

Russell was pronounced dead at the scene, 105 South Barry St.

The homeowner was at the residence with his wife and three children.

A neighbor of the homeowner said he witnessed the shooting and believes the homeowner, his friend of many years, was justified in protecting himself.

When the man was discovered on the couch, the homeowner began yelling for his neighbor to call or find the police.

The neighbor, who did not want to give his name, said he ran immediately to the house at 105 Barry St.

"He's telling him to get out of the house, but the guy wasn't quite right," the neighbor said. "He seemed really wasted on alcohol or something else.

The neighbor said the naked man stood up from the couch, said something about not being afraid of police, then took a swipe at the gun. It was then the shot was fired.

"It's just a sad situation. I feel so bad for everyone," the neighbor said.

Reiss said in an investigation showed that Russell had been drinking with several other people at a downtown area Greenville bar, late into the evening.

At 3 a.m., he was at a Northwest Greenville apartment with other people and decided he was going to leave. Reiss said the others tried to make him stay, but could not.

"He did not want to stay and he left," he said.

At 6:54 a.m., 911 dispatchers took a call from a homeowner near Barry and Grove streets that a naked man was looking into her window.

Police responded and began looking around.

But at that point, the shot was fired. A 911 call came from the South Barry Street home at 7:23 a.m.

Reiss said police found the man's shorts, wallet and cell phone next to a garage a few doors away.

It's not clear why he removed his clothes.

A point of speculation, Reiss said, is that he may have become hypothermic in the night air and thought he was too warm.

The homeowner at 105 Grove had left the slider unlocked after he briefly let the family dog out sometime that morning.

When the homeowner came downstairs later, the naked man was sleeping on the couch.

Reiss said the homeowner is not in custody. Police will forward a report to prosecutors, who will determine if the shooting was warranted.

"We need to make sure the statements of the people match up with the evidence," he said.

E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johntunison