PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — The Paulding County Sheriff's Office has released the identity of a suspect authorities said shot and killed a responding deputy on Saturday evening.
According to the sheriff's office, the suspect has been identified as 42-year-old James Samuel Atkins. It appears that he had committed suicide while barricaded inside a home.
On Saturday around 6:13 p.m., Paulding County Deputy Brandon Cunningham was gunned down while responding to a domestic dispute on Foggy Creek Lane in the Harmony Creek subdivision. Deputy Cunningham was shot as he exited his patrol vehicle. The sheriff's office said that shots continued to come from inside the residence -- preventing Cunningham's partner from being able to help. As additional deputies arrived, they were also unable to reach Deputy Cunningham at the time due to the "hail of gunfire that was being rained down upon them."
The sheriff's office said that the wife of the suspect was attempting to leave the house immediately after Cunningham was shot. Authorities stated that she was also shot by the suspect. She was taken to a hospital in stable but serious condition, according to a release.
Throughout the evening, multiple metro area S.W.A.T. teams arrived to help capture the suspect. Eventually, the sheriff's office said that S.W.A.T. teams were able to make entry into the residence using Bearcat Vehicles, robots and drones. When they got access inside the house, that's when they found Atkins dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Deputy Cunningham was able to be taken to the hospital after he was shot, but he later died from his injuries, the sheriff's office said. Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said that Deputy Cunningham was a hard worker and that his heart breaks for his family, friends and those he worked with.
"We lost a hero last night," Sheriff Gulledge stated. "This senseless act of violence will never be understood. Brandon was 30 years old and leaves behind two children. Please pray for us as we navigate uncharted waters."
