HIRAM, Ga. — A Georgia sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed while responding to a call of a domestic dispute after police say a suicidal suspect ambushed the officer.
Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ashley Henson said at a briefing that two deputies responded to the scene after receiving a call just after 6 p.m. Saturday and immediately received gunfire from a residential neighborhood in Hiram, Georgia.
Henson said the suspect also “rained bullets” at other officers, but only one was shot.
Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge confirmed at a press conference that Deputy Brandon Cunningham, 30, died at a hospital from the shooting.
“We lost a hero tonight,” Gulledge said, adding, “This will be a tough time for all of us, for all of our people.”
The suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, died from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, Henson said.
A woman involved in the domestic dispute left the scene but returned when police arrived on scene.
She was also shot and taken to an Atlanta-area hospital in stable condition, Henson said.
Henson said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation would be overseeing the investigation, adding that it was not immediately clear whether officers responded to the shooting in the area about 27 miles northwest of Atlanta.
“Unfortunately, it appears our officers were ambushed,” Henson said.
The sheriff called the shooting an “extremely tragic situation” and noted that before Saturday, the sheriff’s office had never lost an officer in the line of duty.
“Our hearts are breaking,” Henson said. “I know we are holding on, but there is already heartache and tears.”
