Georgia fire chief shot dead while helping driver who hit deer in Alabama
CBSN
Authorities in rural Alabama say they will charge a man with murder for allegedly shooting and killing a Georgia fire chief, who approached his home Sunday night while trying to assist a driver stranded in the road.
The driver had hit a deer and couldn't call for help because of poor cell phone service, CBS News affiliate WRBL reported. James Bartholomew Cauthen, a 54-year-old fire chief with Coweta County Fire in Georgia, was working outside on a nearby property, which he either owned or maintained, when he noticed the stranded driver and his wife, according to the station. Seeking additional support, Cauthen and the driver decided to approach another residence in the area, WRBL reported.
William Randall Franklin allegedly stepped outside that residence as Cauthen and the driver approached and opened fire on both men, the Chambers County Sheriff's Office said. Chambers County includes the remote Alabama location where the traffic accident and shooting took place.
