A Georgia fire marshal stopped to help a driver who struck a deer. He was subsequently shot.
A Georgia, Alabama, fire captain was shot and killed after trying to help a man who hit a deer while traveling, police said.
The Chambers County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama confirmed in a press release that the deceased person was identified as James Bartholomew Cauthen, Coweta County Fire Department The 54-year-old battalion fire chief.
An early investigation by the Sheriff’s Office determined that Cawson was trying to help two people who hit a deer while driving on County Road 267 in Lafayette, Alabama, on Sunday. When deputies arrived at the scene around 5 p.m., they found Cawson and two people who had wounded the deer with gunshots, according to the release.
“A deer wreck … you pull up and three people are shot — it doesn’t make sense no matter how you look at it,” Chambers County Deputy Mike Parrish told WTVM. “We really don’t know. What happened. This is so weird.
Cawson died from his injuries and the other two were flown by helicopter to LaGrange and Columbus trauma centers, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“Our sympathies and prayers are with Coweta County on his passing,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
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Pictured here is the late Coweta County Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cawson.
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An arrest warrant for murder was issued for William Randall Franklin, an Alabama man who lives in the area where the shooting and traffic incident occurred, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office said Franklin was also injured in the “shootout” and will be arrested after being released from the hospital. WTVM reports Franklin was released on Monday and later arrested by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office. He is awaiting extradition to Chambers County, the station reported.
Investigators said Franklin was the one who shot Cawson and two unidentified people who attacked the deer, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
As of Tuesday, it was unclear whether Franklin had legal representation.
‘We lost one of our best’
“It’s horrific. CCFR is heartbroken tonight,” said Maddie Troyer, senior emergency medical technician with the Coweta County Fire Department, in the comments section of the Sheriff’s Office news release.
“We lost one of our best people,” she added.
The Coweta County Fire Department also commented on its captain’s death in a news release Monday, saying: “Coweta County Fire Rescue continues to be devastated by the tragic passing of Battalion Chief Bart Cauthen. .
“Like many of you, we have many questions as we go through this terrible tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to Cauthen’s family, friends, and his brothers and sisters in the fire rescue family who worked closely with him ,” the department continued. . “We would like to thank all of our agencies and our community who have expressed their condolences. Coweta County remains supportive of our agencies and we will get through this together.”
No further details about the incident have been released, but the department confirmed that funeral arrangements have not yet been made for Cawson. In honor of Cawson, the department shared a post on Facebook on Monday, saying the fire chief was “on duty” today and that “he is already missed.”
“Our team shows their respect! #COWETASTRONG,” the department said. “We would like to thank the community for their support and prayers and all the agencies that have reached out to help us.”
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Contact him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: Georgia fire captain shot to death after helping driver who hit deer
