Deputy sheriff in Georgia killed during domestic dispute response – first on-duty death for sheriff’s office

CNN
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A deputy sheriff in northwest Georgia was fatally shot Saturday night while responding to a 911 call about a domestic dispute, the first in-line death for the county sheriff's office, authorities said.

Paulding County Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Cunningham, 30, was killed in the shooting at a home outside the town of Hiram, authorities said. A man suspected of being the shooter was later found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a female victim was found shot and critically injured, the sheriff's office said.

“Tonight we lost a hero,” Sheriff Gary Gulledge said during a press conference, appearing to hold back tears. “I ask you to pray for this family, both the blood and the blue. Everyone here is hurting. All of our staff is hurting.”

Cunningham and another deputy responded to a 911 call about a domestic dispute at the residence around 6:15 p.m., and someone inside the home fired a gun, striking Cunningham, Major Ashley Henson said at the news conference.

Cunningham was taken to a hospital where he died, Henson said.

Other arriving officers were also met with gunfire, authorities said at the press conference. Cunningham was the only officer who was shot.

“Unfortunately, it appears our officers were ambushed,” Henson said. He said it was unclear whether officers fired back.

The male suspect died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Henson. The person's name was not immediately released.

“We don't know when he took his life, but we do know that our officers were in the middle of a hail of bullets,” Henson said.

While officers were there, the woman – who police believe was involved in the domestic dispute – came back to the house, Henson said. She had been shot and was taken to a hospital, where she was in intensive care Saturday night, Henson said. Henson described her condition as stable.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will investigate the incident, Henson said.

Cunningham, who had worked in the sheriff's office since 2020, leaves behind two children, Henson said.

The sheriff's office has never lost a deputy in the line of duty before, Henson said.

“This is an incredibly tragic situation. Our hearts are broken,” Henson said.

Details of the dispute that preceded the MPs' arrival were not immediately disclosed.

Hiram is located about 25 miles northwest of Atlanta.

From 2021 to 2023, 194 police officers were killed in the line of duty by a crime, more than in any other consecutive three-year period in the past 20 years, according to an FBI report. The South had the most line-of-duty deaths from 2014 to 2023 compared to other regions, the report said.