Paulding County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Cunningham was shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute in Hiram, Georgia. He was ambushed as he exited his patrol vehicle and never saw the threat before being shot. Additional deputies were unable to reach him due to a hail of gunfire. The suspect, James Samuel Atkins, was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while the victim, Kim Thao Vu, was injured and transported to a hospital in serious condition.
Cunningham is the first deputy in the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office’s history to lose his life in the line of duty. He left behind two children and had been with the sheriff’s office for about two years. The incident remains under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Sheriff Gary Gulledge described Cunningham as a great deputy and a hard worker, expressing sorrow for his family, friends, and colleagues. A memorial patrol vehicle has been set up in front of the sheriff’s office for the public to leave flowers and condolences.
Multiple metro area SWAT teams responded to the scene to apprehend the suspect, using armored vehicles, robots, and drones. Despite the efforts to rescue Cunningham, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The community has been urged to pray for Cunningham’s family and mourn the loss of a hero.
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