A Georgia sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Saturday night while responding to a call about a domestic dispute, officials said.
Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge identified the deceased deputy as Brandon Cunningham, a 30-year-old father of two.
“Tonight we have lost a hero,” Gulledge said.
Cunningham and another deputy were “overwhelmed” when they responded to a home in Hiram after receiving reports of a domestic dispute, Maj. Ashley Henson said during a news conference Saturday night.
“Unfortunately, it appears our deputies were ambushed,” Henson said, calling it a “very tragic situation.”
Paulding County Sheriff Brandon Cunningham is seen in this undated photo.
Paulding County Sheriff’s Office
When they arrived at the address, deputies were met with gunfire from the suspect inside the home, Henson said.
Cunningham was beaten, while the other deputy dodged the gunfire.
The male suspect — who officials identified as 42-year-old James Samuel Atkins — was found dead at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A female victim at the scene, identified as 52-year-old Kim Thao Vu, was also shot and transported to the ICU. She was in stable condition Saturday night, officials said.
Cunningham was a father of two who had worked for the sheriff’s department since 2020.
His death marks the first officer killed in the line of duty in the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement shared on Facebook, the department called it “one of the most difficult in the history of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.”
“I ask that you pray for this family – both blood and blue,” Gulledge said during the press conference. “Everyone here is injured, our entire staff is in pain.”