HIRAM, Ga. — A Georgia sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed while responding to a reported domestic dispute in what police said was an ambush on officers by a suspect who took his own life.

Two deputies responded to a call shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday and immediately were fired upon from a home in a subdivision in Hiram, Georgia, Major Ashley Henson of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office said during a briefing.

The male suspect also fired “a hail of bullets” at other officers but only one was shot, Henson said.

Deputy Brandon Cunningham, 30, died at a hospital from a gunshot wound, Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge confirmed during the briefing.

“Tonight, we’ve lost a hero,” Gulledge said, adding that “it’s going to be a tough time for all of us and all of our guys.”

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Henson said.

A woman who was involved in the domestic dispute had left but returned while police were at the scene. She also had been shot and was transported to an Atlanta-area hospital and listed in stable condition, Henson said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will oversee the investigation, Henson said, adding that it was not immediately clear if any of the officers returned fire in the community about 27 miles (43 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta.

“Unfortunately, it appears as if our deputies were ambushed,” Henson said.

He called the shooting a “tremendously tragic situation,” noting the sheriff’s office had never lost an officer in the line of duty before Saturday.

“Our hearts are broken,” Henson said. “You see us holding it together but there are going to be, there is already heartache, there is already tears.”

HAMILTON, Ga. (WTVM) – The Harris County Champs are “rocking and bowling” into their inaugural season.

From the bowling lane to the swimming lane, this group is set to make waves in the Special Olympics.

“To see the joy on their faces, it’s just priceless,” said Angela Pavlakos, management team chair of Harris County Special Olympics.

Pavlakos said she helped start the Harris County Champs to get kids with special needs out of the house, including her son, Jacob, who has autism. She explained while living in Chicago, Jacob was exposed to many opportunities with adaptive sports, but that all changed when she moved to the south.

“When we first moved to Georgia, there was nothing here for us, especially in Harris County,” she said. “So he really suffered; didn’t have anything to participate in. Now that this is up and running, he is so happy, he’s active and it’s a nice change. The personality, and his self confidence, and the friendships.”

Speaking of friends, there are currently 20 Harris County Champs. Guys and girls ages 8-and-up can join, no matter the skill level.

“I wanted to join Special Oympics because I wanted to see my friends over summer, before school started back up,” said Champ Devin.

He also gave me a few tips on how to throw only strikes. He says it’s all about the “spin”.

Champ Jordan is both a bowler and a swimmer, but says he prefers bowling because just like Devin, he rolls strikes.

What’s an athlete without a coach? For this squad, it’s all volunteer coaches, like Gary Krannacker. His son, Luke, is also on the team and tells me there’s no better feeling than watching the athlete hit their mark.

“We’re improving week over week and seeing a lot of good strides being made by all of the athletes, including Luke,” Krannacker said.

As a volunteer coach, most of the costs come out of pocket. Pavlakos said this is where the community comes in and lends a helping hand.

“All of our donors, God bless them, they have contributed beautifully to make this possible,” she explained. “The facility makes this possible by giving us a reduced rate, and some of the other facilities have no charge. It’s a blessing in the community for all of these people to come together and do this for these kids.”

The Champs are still actively recruiting players and coaches. If you’d like to get involved, send an email to this address: harriscountychamps@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

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Georgia Tech is one week away from kicking off the 2024 season in Dublin, Ireland against Florida State and it will be the first chance to see the Yellow Jackets in action. Georgia Tech is bringing back the majority of its starting offense from last year and has several new contributors on defense that they are hoping will turn around that side of the ball.

While Georgia Tech is returning the majority of its starters on offense, could there be some freshmen contributors on offense? Last year, wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr and offensive lineman Ethan Mackenny played a major role as freshmen in Georgia Tech having one of the best offenses in the ACC. On defense, Georgia Tech did not have as many contributors, but there could be some this year.

So who are some guys to know?

1. RB Anthony Carrie

Georgia Tech is trying to sort out its depth at the running back position and true freshman running back Anthony Carrie is among the guys trying to earn touches. He has been complemented a number of times by Brent Key for how tough he is running the ball during scrimmages and he could add an exciting element to the Yellow Jackets backfield that already has Jamal Haynes.

2. TE Luke Harpring

Harpring was one of the most talented members of Georgia Tech’s 2024 recruiting class and he could find a way to get on the field due to his athleticism and ability to make tough catches. Georgia Tech has Brett Seither, Jackson Hawes, Josh Beetham, and Ryland Goede at tight end, but Harpring is so talented that I think as the year goes on, he will be a guy to know.

3. DE Jordan Boyd

The Yellow Jackets feel that the new additions to their defensive line are going to help them turn around that unit and that includes freshman defensive end Jordan Boyd. Boyd was an underrated part of Georgia Tech’s recruiting class and has the athleticism to make a difference quickly. Keep an eye on him this year.

4. DE Amontrae Bradford

Like Boyd, Bradford is a guy that has been mentioned by coaches as someone who has looked good in scrimmages and could potentially help the Yellow Jackets out on defense. Bradford is 6’5 and 250 LBS and could provide depth for Georgia Tech right out of the gate and continue to get snaps as the year goes on.

5. LB Tah’j Butler

Georgia Tech is trying to find guys at the linebacker position and Butler is someone they have been high on. Key talked about him and Georgia transfser E.J. Lightsey after last week’s scrimmage:

“Yeah, you know, both of them, you can tell both of them during spring it was their first time in a new defense, learning a new defense. Tuch is very demanding on those guys. It very, holds them to an extremely high standard. I think if you ask him, I don’t think he’ll ever say that he’s pleased with the work they do on a day -to -day basis. That doesn’t mean he’s down on them either. It’s just the standard that he holds everyone to, and that’s what I love is for people on the staff. I mean, that’s why he’s been such a great fit here from the time he walked through the door. I mean, his standard is the same as my, it’s the same as the offensive coaches. It’s the same across the board, and he expects perfection, right? He expects those guys to be perfect out there. We all know that’s not going to happen, but what’s the old saying? I mean, you shoot for perfection, you’re going to land at excellence the majority of the time, and that’s what we’re trying to do, and that’s the standard he holds those guys, too. They’re going to be good football players. I’m excited to actually watch the film tonight and see those guys. That was one of the position groups. We mixed and matched some of the guys with the twos with the ones, the threes with threes, twos, and I’m excited to see all these guys did. You know, some runs up the middle that I think we probably should have had a hat on. So we’ll look at the gaps and how they’re fitting the gaps from that side of the ball where they come in and pulling the double teams off the offensive line. There was also enough that were flat walled at the line of scrimmage where those guys were making plays in the box, but also had the range to make plays out in space. So improvement there from those guys from the week before. But until we watch the tape and really able to put it pencil those guys in the spots they need to be but you know I’ve been pleased with progression of those guys.”