James Bartholomew Cauthen, a 54-year-old battalion chief with Coweta County Fire, was fatally shot while aiding a couple involved in a car accident in Alabama. Local resident William Randall Franklin opened fire on Cauthen and the driver when they approached his property seeking help. The driver, who returned fire, was also wounded, but his wife remained unharmed. Franklin will be arrested on murder charges once discharged from the hospital. The incident has left both the firefighting community and local authorities in shock and mourning.