Georgia deputy killed while responding to domestic dispute, marking first line-of-duty death for sheriff’s office

By Rebekah Riess and Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — A sheriff’s deputy in northwest Georgia was fatally shot while responding to a domestic dispute call Saturday evening – marking the first line-of-duty 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 city of Hiram, authorities said. A male suspected of being the gunman later was found dead with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot, and a female victim was found shot and seriously injured, the sheriff’s department said.

“Tonight, we’ve lost a hero,” Sheriff Gary Gulledge said during a news conference, appearing to hold back tears. “I ask that you pray for this family, both blood and blue. Everybody here is hurting. Our whole staff is hurting.”

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

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

Other deputies who arrived also were met with gunfire, authorities said at the news conference. Cunningham was the only deputy reported to have been shot.

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

The male suspect died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Henson. That person’s name was not immediately released.

“We don’t know at what point where he took his own life, but we know that our deputies were in the midst of a hail of gunfire,” Henson said.

While deputies were there, the female – who police believe had been involved in the domestic dispute – arrived back at the residence, Henson said. She had been shot, and she was taken to a hospital, where she was in an intensive care unit Saturday night, Henson said. Henson described her condition as stable.

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

Cunningham, who’d worked at the sheriff’s office since 2020, leaves behind two children, Henson said.

The sheriff’s office had never previously lost a deputy in the line of duty, Henson said.

“This is a tremendously tragic situation. Our hearts are broken,” Henson said.

Details about the dispute the preceded the deputies’ arrival weren’t immediately released.

Hiram is roughly a 25-mile drive northwest of Atlanta.

From 2021 to 2023, 194 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty, which was 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 through 2023 compared to other regions, the report said.

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