Both sheriff’s deputies put on their uniforms, neither knowing it would be for the last time.
Three days apart and separated by less than 40 miles, the two deputies died while serving their communities. Deputy Brandon Cunningham with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office and Investigator Taylor Bristow with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office had likely never crossed paths. But they shared many similarities, including their passion to serve and love of the Atlanta Braves. Both were 30 years old.
For many in their communities, both Cunningham and Bristow will also be remembered by one word: Heroes.
“We mourn with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office as they have unfortunately just experienced what our sheriff’s office experienced last week,” the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “Please keep the west Georgia law enforcement community in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks.”
On Aug. 17, Cunningham was responding to a call reporting domestic violence at a Hiram-area home. Within seconds of getting out of his patrol car, he was struck by gunfire from a man firing a high-powered rifle from an upstairs room, according to investigators.
James Samuel Atkins, 42, shot Cunningham, then continued firing shots, also injuring his wife, investigators said. The deputy died from his injuries. Atkins was later found dead inside his home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Three days later, Bristow was attempting to serve a warrant related to a GBI investigation into child sexual exploitation at a home near Carrollton. Investigators believe Christopher Bly, 40, let deputies into his home before taken out a handgun and shooting himself and Bristow. Bly died at the scene.
The shooting happened around 8:30 a.m. Aug. 20 in the area of Don Rich Drive, a dead-end road near Walker Lake, south of Carrollton. Bristow was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
The following day, Bristow’s wife said the family was overwhelmed by the love, prayers and well wishes that have poured in from the community.
“We are fighting the good fight and APPRECIATE every little and big thing. It’s does not go without notice,” Lyssa Bristow said in a statement late Wednesday.
On Friday, hundreds gathered at a Dallas church for the funeral service for Cunningham, followed by a procession to a Marietta cemetery.
Hours later, Bristow died from his injuries.
Cunningham and Bristow became the fifth and sixth Georgia law enforcement officers, respectively, to be killed in the line of duty this year. Traffic crashes claiming the lives of the other four.
A married father of two, Bristow served six years with the Carroll sheriff’s office and previously worked for the Ware County Sheriff’s Office and the Waycross police department.
“He was all about the Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta Braves when he wasn’t serving his community,” Bristow’s obituary states. “His passion was working with children and animal abuse cases.”
In addition to his wife and children, Bristow is survived by his parents and three siblings.
“Bo Duke and Daisy Duke, his dogs, were his sidekicks through it all, and true companions to him,” his obituary states.
Outside the Carroll sheriff’s office, Bristow’s patrol car was covered with flowers, notes and other tributes.
“Thank you to everyone who has taken time to bring something special,” the Carroll sheriff’s office said. “It has comforted us more than words can say.”
The Bristow family will receive friends on Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Mount Holly Church, and the funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the same church, according to his obituary. Interment will be in Kettle Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Waycross at a later date.
A procession from Hightower Funeral Home will begin at 1:30 p.m. Thursday for those who would like to line the route to the church.
HOW TO HELP
Anyone who would like to help Bristow’s family can make an online donation to the West Georgia First Responders, a nonprofit that supports first responders in that area. It is the only legitimate donation site connected to the family, the sheriff’s office said.
OTHER GEORGIA OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN 2024
Jan. 4: Deputy Eric Minix with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office died after being hit by an Alabama police officer’s patrol car as he stepped out of his own vehicle at the end of a chase, according to investigators. The deputy had been involved in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle on I-85 that extended into Chambers County, Alabama. Minix, 31, is survived by a wife and three children.
Jan. 28: Trooper Jimmy Cenescar with the Georgia State Patrol died in a crash while attempting to stop a motorcyclist in Gwinnett County, according to investigators. He was 28. Gerson Danilo Ayala-Rodriguez, 21, later pleaded guilty to causing the crash and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Feb. 6: Crawford County sheriff’s Deputy Timothy Tavarus Rivers died after being involved in a two-vehicle wreck while on duty, investigators said. Rivers, 40, was responding to assist another officer around 10 p.m. when his patrol vehicle crossed into the opposite travel lane on Marshall Mill Road, about 20 miles southwest of Macon, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Feb. 20: Trooper First Class Chase Redner was killed while investigating a crash on I-75 North near Mt. Zion Boulevard in Clayton County when he was struck by a vehicle, according to the Georgia State Patrol. Redner was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries. He is survived by his mother and fiancée.
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