'We've lost a hero': Georgia deputy fatally shot after responding to domestic dispute

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.

The male suspect, identified as James Samuel Atkins, 42, was found dead at the scene with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the sheriff's office. A female victim who was injured at the scene was identified as Kim Thao Vu, 52, the suspect's wife.

"Tonight, we’ve lost a hero," Paulding Sheriff Gary Gulledge said at Saturday's news conference. "Deputy Brandon Cunningham has succumbed to a gunshot wound at the emergency room over here at Paulding."

"I ask that you please keep this family in your prayers. Everybody, even if you're not in this county, I ask that you pray for this family — both blood and blue," Gulledge added. "Everybody here is hurting. Our whole staff is hurting."

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Shooting remains under investigation

The sheriff's office said Vu was attempting to leave the residence immediately after Cunningham was shot. She was then shot by Atkins and transported to an Atlanta-area hospital in stable but serious condition.

Responding deputies later arrived at the scene with an armored vehicle, which enabled them to get Cunningham away from the scene and into an ambulance. "It is with great sorrow that we can confirm that Deputy Cunningham was pronounced deceased later that evening at the hospital," the sheriff's office said.

Multiple metro area SWAT teams also responded to the scene to apprehend the suspect and entered the residence by using armored vehicles, robots, and drones, according to the sheriff's office. They then discovered Atkins, who "appeared to have taken his own life with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," the sheriff's office said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.

'Brandon was a great deputy'

Cunningham is the first deputy since the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office was established in 1834 to lose their life in their line of duty, the sheriff's office said.

Cunningham, 30, left behind two children, according to Gulledge. He started his career with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office in 2020 and was part of the uniform patrol division for about two years, Henson said.

"Brandon was a great deputy and a hard worker. My heart breaks for his family, friends, and our staff," Gulledge said in a statement Sunday. "This senseless act of violence will never be understood."

The sheriff's office said a memorial patrol vehicle has been placed in front of the office for the public to leave flowers and condolences.