A Georgia sheriff’s deputy was killed while responding to a domestic dispute in a home near the city of Hiram on Saturday night, in what police said was an ambush on officers by a suspect who took his own life. Hiram is about 30 miles west of Atlanta.
Deputy Brandon Cunningham, 30, and another deputy responded to a call shortly after 6 a.m. ET. Major Ashley Henson of the Paulding County Sherriff’s Office said during a news briefing that upon arrival, a male suspect fired a “hail of bullets” at the deputies and other officers, striking Cunningham. Said Henson (according to CBS affiliate WNAF): “Unfortunately, it appears as if our deputies were ambushed .. This is something that has never happened in the history of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office. We have never lost a deputy in the line of duty.”
Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said that Cunningham died at a hospital from a gunshot wound, adding: “tonight, we’ve lost a hero .. it’s going to be a tough time for all of us and all of our guys. Deputy Brandon Cunningham has succumbed to a gunshot wound at the emergency room over here at Paulding. I ask that you please keep his family in your prayers, everybody — even if you’re not in this county, I ask that you pray for this family, both blood and blue. Everybody here is hurting, our whole staff is hurting.”
The suspect, who was not immediately identified, died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The woman who was involved in the domestic dispute had left but returned while police were at the scene. She also had been shot and was transported to an Atlanta-area hospital and listed in stable condition.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will oversee the investigation, Henson said, adding that it was not immediately clear if any of the officers returned fire in the community about 27 miles northwest of Atlanta.
WNAF reported that Cunningham started working for the sheriff’s department in 2020 and had been in the uniform patrol division for about two years. Henson said: “He was a great deputy, good young man. He was 30 years of age. Brandon leaves behind two children.”
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