A Georgia sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Saturday night while responding to a call about a domestic dispute, authorities said.
Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge identified the slain deputy as Brandon Cunningham, a 30-year-old father of two.
“Tonight we lost a hero,” Gulledge said.
Cunningham and another deputy were “ambushed” while driving to a home in Hiram after receiving reports of a domestic dispute, Maj. Ashley Henson said at a news conference later Saturday night.
“Unfortunately, it appears our deputies were ambushed,” Henson said, calling the situation “terribly tragic.”
Paulding County Sheriff Brandon Cunningham is seen in this undated photo.
Paulding County Sheriff’s Office
When deputies arrived at the listed address, they were met with gunshots from the suspect inside the home, Henson said.
Cunningham was hit, while the other deputy dodged the gunfire.
A woman was also shot and taken to intensive care. Her condition was stable Saturday night, authorities said.
The male suspect, whom authorities have not identified, was found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Cunningham was a father of two and had worked for the sheriff’s department since 2020.
His death marks the first officer killed in the line of duty in the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement shared on Facebook, the department called the operation “one of the most difficult in the history of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.”
“I ask that you pray for this family, whether they are blood or blue blood,” Gulledge said at the news conference. “Everybody is hurting here, all of our staff is hurting.”
