A man accused of killing a Georgia fire chief who’d stopped to help a driver who struck a deer has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting, a police official said Tuesday.
William Randall Franklin was taken into custody after he was struck in a shootout with Coweta County Battalion Fire Chief James Bartholomew Cauthen, 54, and the driver, who has not been identified, Mike Parrish, the chief sheriff’s deputy in Chambers County, Alabama, told NBC News.
Franklin was released from a local hospital and is awaiting extradition from Muscogee County, Georgia, to Chambers County, Alabama, where he has a warrant for murder in connection with Cauthen’s killing, Parrish said.
No words appear to have been exchanged before Franklin is alleged to have opened fire on Cauthen and the driver, who’d approached Franklin’s home Saturday afternoon after he and his wife struck the deer in an “extremely” rural section of Alabama near the Georgia line, Parrish said.
Cauthen had been nearby and stopped to help the couple, Parrish said, but without cell service, he and the driver walked less than 30 yards to Franklin’s home.
The motorist’s wife remained in the car, Parrish said.
Franklin is alleged to have walked outside when they approached his driveway and begun shooting, Parrish said. Cauthen and the motorist returned fire, Parrish said.
Cauthen was pronounced dead at the scene, Parrish said. The driver was struck in the arm and released from the hospital the same day.
Franklin was struck twice in the arm and once in the thigh, Parrish said.
A motive remains unclear. Franklin’s family has said he has mental health issues, Parrish said. A deputy who responded to the scene said he appeared intoxicated, Parrish added.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Franklin has a lawyer to speak on his behalf. Members of his family could not be reached for comment.
Cauthen had been with the fire department in nearby Coweta County for more than two decades and was known as a hard-working man with a gentle soul, the agency said in a statement.
"Just like many of you, we have many questions as we navigate through this horrible tragedy," it said.