'Our hearts are definitely broken': Law enforcement mourn Cobb County deputies killed in line of duty

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Law enforcement agencies across Georgia are mourning the deaths of two Cobb County deputies killed in the line of duty Thursday evening.

Officials say the two deputies, both of whose identities have not been released, were attempting to serve a warrant at a home on the corner of Hampton Glen Court and Fenwick Drive just west of Marietta.

According to Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens, the deputies were getting back into their car when another vehicle drove up and started firing.

"My two deputies were ambushed and killed," Owens said.

After a multi-hour standoff, two people were taken into custody. Their names have not been released.

The deputies are the first two law enforcement officers killed in Georgia this year by gunfire and the first deaths in the line of duty since Owens took office 18 months ago.

The loss was felt across the entire community with dozens of law enforcement officers escorting the bodies of both deputies from the scene to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and then to the medical examiner's office.

 "Our hearts are definitely broken here in Cobb County,"  Owens said. "It’s gonna take some prayers to help us get back to where we need to be."

While the sheriff did not release the names of the deputies, he called them "two young bright deputies" who served the county for more than five years with "dignity and honor."

"It is a sad night, this evening, for the citizens of Cobb County and for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and for law enforcement at home," the sheriff said. "Even more so, it is a night of heartache for two families from the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, two wives who have lost their amazing husbands."

Investigators comb over the area where two Cobb County deputies were killed in an "ambush" while trying to serve a warrant on Sept. 8, 2022. (FOX 5)

Across the state, law enforcement agencies reacted to the deadly shooting.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted its condolences to the sheriff and the sheriff's office.

"Our thoughts, hearts, and prayers are with you, " the Atlanta Police Department wrote on Twitter.

"I think when one agency loses someone we all lose someone. and I think every sheriff and every chief can attest to that when this tragedy hurts our community it hurts their community as well," Owens said.

The sheriff said he also got a call from Gov. Brian Kemp asking if he could provide any resources or help.

In a tweet Friday morning, the governor said he and his family were "deeply saddened to learn of the killing of these two deputies."

"Men and women like them bravely serve our communities every day, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude," Kemp wrote.

He said the one thing his agency needs at this time is prayers.