A sheriff's deputy described as a hero was shot and killed Saturday while responding to a domestic dispute in northwestern Georgia. Paulding County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Cunningham was "ambushed" as he and another deputy responded to a domestic dispute in Hiram, just outside of Atlanta, the sheriff's office said. The two deputies immediately came under gunfire after arriving at the scene at around 6:13 p.m. Saturday, USA Today reports. "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." Other deputies responded but were unable to reach Cunningham due to the "hail of gunfire," the sheriff's office added.
The incident marked the first time the Paulding County Sheriff's Office has lost a deputy in the line of duty. The suspect, identified as James Samuel Atkins, 42, was found dead at the scene with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A female victim who was injured at the scene was identified as Kim Thao Vu, 52, the suspect's wife. 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 a hospital. 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. 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. They then discovered Atkins, who "appeared to have taken his own life with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," the sheriff's office said.
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