Heroic Georgia Deputy Killed in ‘Ambush’ While Responding to Domestic Dispute, Community Mourns
On Saturday night in northwest Georgia, a deputy was killed while reacting to a domestic dispute.
Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ashley Henson said at a news conference on Saturday that this is the first time a deputy has died in the line of duty.
Around 6:13 p.m., Deputy Brandon Cunningham and another deputy went to a house to deal with the argument.
Henson said, “When they got there, they were met with gunfire from a suspect who was inside a home.” He called it a “ambush.”
Cunningham was hit and died. The alleged shooter’s wife tried to leave in a car right after Cunningham was shot, but she was also hit, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Sunday evening.
The woman was named by the sheriff’s office as Kim Thao Vu, who is 52 years old. She was stabilized at a hospital near Atlanta, but her situation was very bad.
“The hail of gunfire that was being rained down upon them,” the sheriff’s office said, stopped deputies who wanted to help Cunningham, including his partner.
It said the cop didn’t have a chance to shoot back.
“Cunningham was shot as he exited his patrol vehicle, never even seeing the threat before being executed,” it said.
At the news conference on Sunday, Sheriff Gary Gulledge tried not to cry.
He said, “We lost a hero tonight.” “Deputy Brandon Cunningham died when he was shot in the emergency room over here at Paulding.”
He went on, “I ask that everyone, even if you’re not in this county, please pray for his family. Pray for this family, both blood and blue.” Everyone here is hurting, including our staff.
His first job with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office was in 2020, and Henson said he worked in the uniformed patrol section for about two years.
“He was a great deputy and a good kid.” He told them that he was 30 years old. There are two kids that Brandon left behind.
Henson said that the man suspect who is thought to have fired the shots was found dead from what looked like a gunshot wound to the head. The individual was not named by officials.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will keep looking into what happened.