Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include where the victim worked as a fire chief.
(WRBL) – An Alabama fire chief was shot and killed Sunday while helping a couple stranded after their car hit a deer in Chambers County.
Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cauthen of Georgia’s Coweta County Fire and Rescue Department stopped to assist the couple on County Road 267 just before 5 p.m., officials said. Investigators told Nexstar’s WRBL that Kosen and the driver then approached the home of William Randall Franklin, 33, seeking help, at which point Franklin struck him without warning. It is believed that shots were fired.
Investigators say the driver was armed and fired at the suspect. All three men were injured in what the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office called a “shootout.” Kosen, 54, succumbed to his injuries before officers were called to the scene.
Coweta County Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cauthen was killed after a “gunfight,” authorities said Sunday. (Coweta County Fire Rescue)
Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the suspect to shoot Causen and the driver.
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“Mr. Cauthen has been with our department for over 24 years,” co-workers at Coweta County Fire and Rescue wrote on Facebook. “He was a wonderful, kind soul and a hard worker.”
Chambers County Chief Deputy Mike Parrish called the incident one of the most heartbreaking and bizarre in his more than 30 years of service.
Parrish said Cosen owned or managed property near the crime scene. Investigators believe Kosen was attempting to leave the scene when he noticed the vehicle that had struck the deer and stopped to call for help.
Parrish said the fire chief and the driver were unable to call for help due to lack of cell phone reception in the remote area, so they decided to walk to a nearby residence for help. That’s when Franklin allegedly opened fire.
Investigators believe Kosen tried to cross the road after being hit, but fell into a ditch and died from his injuries before officers arrived. The driver was injured but is expected to recover. The driver’s wife never got out of the car and was unharmed.
Franklin is also expected to survive and will be charged with murder once he is released from Piedmont Medical Center, officials said.
The shooting remains under investigation.
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“We have lost a brother, a mentor, a mentor, and a family member to a senseless tragedy,” Cosen’s colleagues wrote in a separate Facebook post. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the Causen family as they navigate this difficult time.”
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