A community is reeling after a Georgia fire chief was shot and killed while stopping to assist a couple whose car had collided with a deer in Alabama.
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Coweta County Battalion Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cauthen was tragically found dead, while two others sustained gunshot injuries in the Stroud neighborhood, authorities reported. The incident occurred around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 19, according to a news release from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama.
Police found the three victims while responding to a traffic accident involving a deer, according to the release. “Early investigation indicates that Chief Cauthen was attempting to assist individuals that had struck a deer while traveling on County Road 267,” the sheriff’s office explained.
Authorities reported that local resident William Randall Franklin allegedly “opened fire on Chief Cauthen and the individuals” involved in striking the deer, injuring all three.
“Chief Cauthen succumbed to his injuries prior to deputies arriving on the scene,” the sheriff’s office added. Meanwhile, the two injured people were flown by helicopter to trauma centers in LaGrange and Columbus, Georgia.
A later announcement from the Sheriff’s Office identified Cauthen as a 54-year-old resident of Moreland, Georgia.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to Coweta County for his loss,” the authorities added.
Authorities Call the Fire Chief’s Shooting ‘Heartbreaking and Bizarre’
According to local outlet WRBL, investigators believe Cauthen stopped to assist the couple after noticing their vehicle and an injured deer while leaving his nearby property.
“The fire chief and the driver, unable to call for help due to poor cell phone service in the remote area, decided to walk to the nearby home to ask for assistance,” Chambers County Chief Deputy Mike Parrish explained, per the outlet. Parrish also called the tragedy one of the most “heartbreaking and bizarre cases in his more than 30 years of service.”
Indeed, the shooter reportedly opened fire on his victims when they allegedly weren’t even on his property.
According to investigators, Franklin, 33, opened fire on Cauthen and the driver “without warning” as they approached the driveway of a nearby home. The driver, who was also armed, returned fire, wounding Franklin, WRBL reports.
“Chief Cauthen attempted to cross the street but collapsed in a ditch. [He] succumbed to his injuries before deputies arrived,” WRBL added.
Police stated that a warrant had been issued for Franklin. He will be taken into custody once discharged from Piedmont Medical Center.