Officers involved in armed standoff with slaying suspect, a former deputy

Thursday, June 18, 2020

APPLING, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Authorities are involved in a standoff with a former sheriff's deputy who's wanted in connection with the shooting death of a woman early today.

The man is Jason "Moose" Cunningham, authorities confirmed to News 12. He's wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman found this morning in a downtown Augusta parking deck. She was the

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The female victim was found after deputies responded at approximately 5:57 a.m. to a report of a dead body in the parking deck of the Augusta Convention Center. When deputies arrived at the facility at Ninth and Reynolds streets, they found the body on the third floor. She had been shot at least once and was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:40 a.m. Her identity was not released and her autopsy is scheduled for Friday at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab.

Just before 8 a.m., authorities reported that they thought a suspect in at least one of the homicides in a vehicle headed east on Interstate 20.

Then by 10:15 a.m., the standoff had erupted at the Fort Gordon Recreation Area in the 6700 block of Washington Road near Appling.

Cunningham was in his car and armed with a gun he reportedly pointed, authorities confirmed to News 12. Officers were trying to get him to unload the gun and toss it out the window. He said he wanted talk with his wife, and he reportedly had another gun under the car seat.

Cunningham served as a Richmond County sheriff's deputy before leaving the position a couple of years ago.

The slaying victim's name was not released pending notification of kin. Her autopsy is scheduled for Friday at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab.