A veteran Georgia firefighter was shot and killed when he stopped to assist the driver of a car that hit a deer in the middle of nowhere.
Firefighter shot and fatally wounded
The man who allegedly killed him, William Randall Franklin, was taken into custody following an exchange of gunfire with Coweta County Battalion Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cauthen, 54, and the unidentified driver, according to Mike Parrish, the chief deputy of the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, after the driver and his wife struck the deer in a remote area of Alabama near the Georgia border.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Cauthen, who had been in the vicinity and stopped to help the couple, but due to the “extremely” rural nature of the area, none of them were able to get any cell service.
When they noticed that there was a residential home merely yards away, both Cauthen and the driver headed up the driveway to see if the homeowner would assist them.
That’s when Franklin allegedly came outside and opened fire without uttering a word when the two men approached his residence.
“They start walking up a driveway, and an individual that lived in the residence where this driveway was came out and started shooting,” Parrish explained to WTVM.
“I’ve worked a lot, but this is probably one of the most bizarre scenes I ever showed up on,” he added.
While Parrish described the incident as “bizarre,” one of the responding officers called it a “horrific scene,” according to 11 Alive.
Firefighter shot back at assailant
Both Cauthen and the driver, happened to be armed when they approached the house, and returned fire, according to officials.
The driver sustained an injury to his arm during the altercation and was transported to a trauma center in LaGrange, Georgia, but was discharged from the hospital within hours.
The motorist’s wife remained in their car during the incident, and was unharmed during the ensuing shootout.
Tragically, Cauthen succumbed to his injuries when first responders arrived at around 5 p.m., and was declared dead at the location.
Franklin, who was struck by gunfire twice in the arm and once in the thigh, also had to be hospitalized.
He was flown to Piedmont Columbus Regional for treatment before being released Monday, said Parrish.
Franklin is currently awaiting extradition from Muscogee County, Georgia, back to Chambers County, Alabama, where a warrant has been issued for his arrest on murder charges linked to Cauthen’s death.
Franklin’s motive for opening fire on two men seeking his help remains uncertain, but Parrish indicated that Franklin’s family disclosed he has a history of mental health issues. Additionally, responders at the scene noted Franklin appeared intoxicated.
“A deer wreck…you pull up and three people are shot – it just don’t make sense any way you look at it,” Parrish told reporters. “We just really didn’t know what happened. It was just bizarre.”
Community reacts to Fire Chief’s death
The shocking death of Cauthen, who was a firefighter for 24 years, has left the community he faithfully served in mourning.
Coweta County Fire Rescue shared multiple posts on Facebook honoring the memory of Chief Cauthen, describing him as “an amazing, hard-working man with a gentle soul.”
“Just like many of you, we have many questions as we navigate through this horrible tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to Cauthen’s family, friends and our brothers and sisters in the Fire Rescue family who worked closely with him,” the post read.
The department further extended their gratitude to agencies and members of the community who offered condolences and support during what they called “a senseless tragedy.”
“We want to thank all of the agencies who have reached out to us to offer condolences, as well as our community,” the post continued. “Coweta County is always there to support our agency, we will get through this together.”
