After couple hit deer in Alabama, fire chief who stopped to help was fatally shot

A man accused of killing a Georgia fire chief who stopped to help a driver who hit a deer has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting, a police official said Tuesday.

William Randall Franklin was taken into custody after being struck during a shootout with Coweta County Battalion Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cauthen, 54, and the driver, who has not been identified, Chambers County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mike Parrish told NBC News.

Franklin has been released from a local hospital and is awaiting extradition from Muscogee County, Georgia, to Chambers County, Alabama, where he is the subject of a murder warrant in connection with the killing from Cauthen, Parrish said.

No words appear to have been exchanged before Franklin opened fire on Cauthen and the driver, who had approached the suspect’s home Saturday afternoon after he and his wife struck the animal in an area “extremely » rural Alabama, near the Georgia state line. said the deputy chief.

Cauthen was nearby and stopped to help the couple, Parrish said, but without cell service, the fire chief and driver walked less than 30 yards to Franklin’s home.

The motorist’s wife remained in the car, Parrish said.

When they approached Franklin’s driveway, the suspect allegedly got out and started shooting, Parrish said. Cauthen and the motorist returned fire, the deputy chief said.

Cauthen was pronounced dead at the scene, Parrish said. The driver was shot in the arm and released from hospital the same day.

Franklin was shot twice in the arm and once in the thigh, Parrish said.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear. The suspect’s family said Franklin suffered from mental health issues, Parrish said. A deputy who responded to the scene said the suspect appeared to be intoxicated, the deputy chief added.

It was not immediately clear whether Franklin had an attorney to speak on his behalf. Family members could not be reached for comment.

Cauthen had worked for the nearby Coweta County Fire Department for more than two decades and was known as a hard-working man with a gentle soul, the agency said in a statement.

“Like many of you, we have many questions as we navigate this horrific tragedy,” the agency said.