In Hiram, Georgia, a tragic event unfolded as a Georgia sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot in what was described by the police as an ambush by a male suspect. The incident occurred after two deputies responded to a reported domestic dispute call on Saturday night around 6 p.m. Major Ashley Henson of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office detailed the events during a briefing held shortly after the event.
Upon their arrival at the scene, located in a Hiram subdivision, the deputies were immediately fired upon from within a home. The male suspect not only targeted the deputies with gunfire but also fired a “hail of bullets” towards other officers present on the scene. Fortunately, it appears that only one officer was hit by the gunman’s shots.
Deputy Brandon Cunningham, a 30-year-old law enforcement officer, succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge confirmed the sad news during the same briefing session. He shared that this was an immense loss for their department and expressed his heartfelt condolences to the deputy’s family and fellow officers.
The suspect involved in the domestic dispute, whose identity has not been disclosed yet, took his own life by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In a twist of events, the woman at the center of the dispute had initially left the scene but later returned while law enforcement was present on the site. She, too, had been shot and was taken to an Atlanta-area hospital where she is now in stable condition.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has been tasked with overseeing the investigation into this tragic incident. The specifics surrounding the shooting are still under scrutiny, and it remains unclear if any of the responding officers returned fire during the encounter. Major Henson emphasized that the deputy’s death marked a first for their department, which had never before lost an officer in the line of duty.
Our hearts are broken,” said Major Henson as he addressed the overwhelming grief and sadness that had enveloped the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office in the wake of this tragedy. He urged his colleagues to hold onto each other, acknowledging the pain they were all feeling together, as they mourn their fallen comrade.
