Georgia sheriff's deputy killed in 'ambush' was 30-year-old father of 2

HIRAM, Ga. -- A Georgia sheriff's deputy was shot and killed Saturday night while responding to a call about a domestic dispute, officials said.

Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge identified the deceased deputy as Brandon Cunningham, a 30-year-old father of two, ABC News reported.

"Tonight, we've lost a hero," Gulledge said.

Cunningham and another deputy were "ambushed" while responding to a home in Hiram after receiving reports of a domestic dispute, Maj. Ashley Henson said during a press conference on Saturday night.

"Unfortunately, it appears as if our deputies were ambushed," Henson said, calling it a "tremendously tragic situation."

Upon arriving at the address, the deputies were met with gunfire from the suspect inside the home, Henson said.

Cunningham was struck, while the other deputy avoided the gunfire.

The male suspect -- who officials identified as 42-year-old James Samuel Atkins -- was found dead at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A female victim at the scene, identified as 52-year-old Kim Thao Vu, was also shot and was transported to the ICU. She was in stable condition as of Saturday night, officials said.

Cunningham was a father of two who had worked for the sheriff's department since 2020.

His death marks the first officer killed in the line of duty in the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.

In a statement shared on Facebook, the department called it "one of the hardest in the history of the Paulding County Sheriff's Office."

"I ask that you pray for this family -- both blood and blue," Gulledge said during the press conference. "Everybody here is hurting, our whole staff is hurting."