A sheriff’s deputy described as a hero was shot and killed Saturday night while responding to a domestic dispute in northwestern Georgia, officials said.
Paulding County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Cunningham was “ambushed” as he and another deputy responded to a domestic dispute in Hiram, Georgia, a city just outside of Atlanta, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Sunday. The two deputies immediately came under gunfire after arriving at the scene at around 6:13 p.m. Saturday.
“Cunningham was shot as he exited his patrol vehicle, never even seeing the threat before being executed,” the sheriff’s office said. “Shots continued to come from inside the residence, preventing his partner from being able to render aid.”
Additional deputies responded to the scene but were unable to reach Cunningham due to the “hail of gunfire,” the sheriff’s office added. Cunningham was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The incident marked the first time the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office has lost a deputy in the line of duty, Maj. Ashley Henson said at a news conference Saturday night.