According to a police spokesman on Tuesday, a guy has been taken into custody in connection with the fatal shooting of a Georgia fire chief who stopped to assist a car who had struck a deer.
Following a shootout with Coweta County Battalion Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cauthen, 54, and the unidentified motorist, William Randall Franklin was placed under arrest, Chambers County Sheriff Chief Deputy Mike Parrish told NBC News.
Parrish stated that Franklin was freed from a nearby hospital and is currently awaiting extradition from Muscogee County, Georgia, to Chambers County, Alabama, where he is wanted for murder in relation to Cauthen’s death.
According to the chief deputy, no words seem to have been spoken before Franklin reportedly opened fire on Cauthen and the driver, who had come to the suspect’s house on Saturday afternoon after he and his wife had hit the animal in a very rural area of Alabama close to the Georgia state boundary.
The fire chief and the driver had to walk fewer than 30 yards to Franklin’s house without cell coverage, but Cauthen had been close by and stopped to assist the couple, according to Parrish.
According to Parrish, the driver’s wife was still inside the vehicle.
According to Parrish, the suspect allegedly went outside and started shooting as they got closer to Franklin’s driveway. According to the chief deputy, Cauthen and the driver exchanged gunfire.
According to Parrish, Cauthen was declared deceased at the scene. After being hit in the arm, the driver was discharged from the hospital that same day.
According to Parrish, Franklin was hit once in the leg and twice in the arm.
There is still no obvious motivation for the shooting. Franklin has mental health concerns, according to the suspect’s relatives, Parrish said. The top deputy noted that the suspect appeared drunk, according to a deputy who arrived on the scene.
Whether Franklin had a counsel to represent him wasn’t immediately apparent. We were unable to contact family members for comment.
According to the agency’s statement, Cauthen had been a member of the fire department in neighboring Coweta County for over 20 years and was regarded as a dedicated individual with a kind heart.
“Just like many of you, we have many questions as we navigate through this horrible tragedy,” the organization stated.