PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's Note: Click here for the latest updates on this story as of Sunday morning.
A Paulding County deputy is dead after being "ambushed" and shot Saturday night following a domestic dispute. The suspect later died by suicide after barricading himself inside the home for hours, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies said it happened while responding to a domestic call at a home around 6:15 p.m. in the Harmony Creek subdivision. Paulding County deputies confirmed a woman was also shot and was the one involved with the suspect in the domestic dispute.
Deputies said that the woman left the home after the domestic dispute, came back, and then was ultimately shot. It's not clear if anyone else was in the home.
The deputy was identified as Brandon Cunningham, 30. The sheriff's office said this was the first time a deputy had ever been killed in the line of duty in Paulding County. Cunningham was on the force in Paulding County for around four years. He leaves behind two children.
The deputy and the woman were shot in Hiram, which is about 27 miles west of Atlanta. The shooting happened on Virgie Ballentine Drive, which is on the same road as Hiram High School.
The road was blocked for hours, leaving dozens of residents in the rain while they waited for the scene to clear.
Paulding County Sheriff Public Information Officer Ashley Henson said that when deputies arrived at the home, they were ambushed, and there was immediate gunfire.
"More deputies arrived on scene when the call for help came out," Henson said. "There was active gunfire raining down on the additional deputies that responded to the scene."
Henson said hundreds of law enforcement agents responded to the scene, including Fulton, Coweta, and Cobb Counties and Marietta, Dallas, and Power Springs Police, plus state troopers. There were also multiple SWAT Teams.
"As you can tell by the look on my face, this is a very dire and serious situation," Henson said. "So, I would appreciate your prayers for both our deputy and the female victim. I would appreciate your prayers for the men and women who are out there right now trying to get this situation resolved peacefully."
The woman remains in the hospital.
(Refresh often for updates)
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
Also download the 11Alive News mobile app and sign up to receive alerts for the latest on this story and other breaking news in Atlanta and north Georgia.
Editor's note: This breaking news has been updated with information from officials to correct reporting that only one deputy was shot.