On the afternoon of Sunday, January 19, a tragedy occurred in Chambers County, Alabama. There, Coweta County Fire Rescue in Georgia lost Battalion Chief James “Bart” Cauthen. He, a 24-year veteran of the force, was shot and killed while trying to help a driver who had struck a deer. Mr. Cauthen was described by the fire rescue unit as an “amazing, hard-working man with a gentle soul.”
The Chambers County Sheriff’s office described what happened in a post on its Facebook page, noting that a traffic accident involving a deer led to dispatched deputies, and that when they arrived they found three people who had been shot, one of them dead and the other two so seriously wounded that they were evacuated by helicopter.
Beginning the statement by describing how the deputies made it to the scene and why they had been dispatched, the sheriff’s department said, “On January 19th, at approximately 5:00 p.m., Chambers County deputies were dispatched to County Road 267 near U.S. 431 in the Stroud community in reference to a traffic accident involving a deer.”
Continuing, it described what the deputies in the office found at the scene when they arrived, and what happened to the victims. It said, “Upon arrival, deputies found three individuals with gunshot wounds. One individual was deceased. The other two individuals were transported by helicopter to LaGrange and Columbus trauma centers.”
The statement then noted that the sheriff’s office was still working on figuring out what happened and needed help from the public. It wrote, “At this time, investigators are working to piece together the events that led to this horrific scene. Anyone with information pertaining to this case are asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at (334)864-4333. We cannot release any identities at this time.”
The office then released a second statement in which it identified the deceased victim as Mr. Cauthen, saying, “Following up our earlier release……..The deceased victim is identified as James Bartholomew Cauthen, 54 years of age from Moreland, Georgia. Mr. Cauthen was a Battalion Fire Chief with Coweta County Fire.”
It continued, describing how Mr. Cauthen was shot while trying to aid a car that had struck a deer while driving down the road. It said, “Our hearts and prayers go out to Coweta County for his loss. Early investigation indicates that Chief Cauthen was attempting to assist individuals that had struck a deer while traveling on County Road 267.”
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The sheriff’s office then alleged that an area resident named William Randall Franklin was the one who started shooting, alleging that he opened fire both on the driver who struck the deer and Mr. Cauthen. It said, “Another individual (William Randall Franklin) that resided in the area opened fire on Chief Cauthen and the individual that struck the deer.”
Finally, describing the aftermath of that shooting, the sheriff’s office said, “All individuals were injured during the shootout. Chief Cauthen succumbed to his injuries prior to deputies arriving on the scene. Arrest warrants for Murder have been issued for William Randall Franklin. He will be arrested upon release from Piedmont Medical Center.”
In a statement on Mr. Cauthen’s death, Coweta County Fire Rescue said, “Coweta County Fire Rescue continues to be devastated by the tragic passing of Battalion Chief Bart Cauthen. Cauthen has been with our department for more than 24 years. He was 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 department added, “We want to thank all of the agencies who have reached out to us to offer condolences, as well as our community. Coweta County is always there to support our agency, we will get through this together. At this time, we do not have further details outside of what was released from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office nor have funeral arrangements been made. We will share updates as they become available.”
Featured image credit: Coweta County Fire Rescue Facebook