A Georgia A sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed while responding to a reported domestic dispute in what police said was an ambush of officers by a suspect who took his own life.
Deputy Brandon Cunningham, 30, and another deputy responded to a call just after 6 a.m. ET Saturday at a home in a subdivision in Hiram, Georgia. Upon arrival, a male suspect fired a “barrage of bullets” at the deputies and other officers, striking Cunningham, Maj. Ashley Henson of the Paulding County Sherriff’s Office said during a news briefing.
“Unfortunately, it appears our deputies were assaulted,” Henson said.
He called the shooting a “very tragic situation.”
Paulding County Sheriff’s Office via AP
“This is something that has never happened in the history of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office,” Henson said, according to the report CBS affiliate WNAF. “We have never lost a deputy in the service.”
Cunningham died at a hospital from a gunshot wound, Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said.
“Tonight we lost a hero,” Gulledge said, adding that “it’s going to be a tough time for all of us and all of our guys.”
The suspect, who was not immediately identified, died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Henson said.
A woman involved in the domestic dispute had left but returned while police were at the scene. She had also been shot and was transported to an Atlanta-area hospital and was listed in stable condition, Henson said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will oversee the investigation, Henson said, adding that it was not immediately clear if either officer returned fire in the community about 17 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Cunningham began working for the sheriff’s department in 2020 and had been with the uniformed patrol division for about two years, WNAF reported. He leaves behind two children.
“Our hearts are broken,” Henson said. “You see we’re sticking it together but there will be, there’s already heartbreak, there’s already tears.”