Man accused of stabbing Sandy Springs officer now charged with Cobb double homicide
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A man due to appear in court in the stabbing of a Sandy Springs police officer is now accused of the double homicide of a Cobb County firefighter and his wife.
The Cobb County Police Department said 22-year-old Matthew Lanz is a suspect in the murder investigation of 31-year-old Timothy Justin Hicks and his wife, 31-year-old Amber Hicks. Both were found dead from gunshot wounds in a home on Verena Drive in Acworth on Thursday morning.
The suspect in a Sandy Springs stabbing is accused of killing a Cobb County firefighter in a double shooting. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
Police said a two-year-old was found in the home unharmed and is now with family members.
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Police said Lanz is wanted in Cobb County for two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, home invasion and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Police investigate a deadly double shooting at a home near Acworth on Nov. 18, 2021. (FOX 5)
On Friday, the GBI said Lanz entered a home along Cameron Glen Drive in Sandy Springs just after 8:30 a.m. Police were already in the area due to a suspicious person's call several minutes earlier when another 911 call was made reporting the break-in, investigators said.
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The GBI said officers arrived at the home and confronted Lanz, who was armed with a knife. Lanz suddenly attacked one of the officers, stabbing him repeatedly in the back and neck, the GBI said. Officers shot at Lanz and struck him twice.
Sandy Springs police said the wounded officer was released from Grady Memorial Hospital and is "doing extremely well."
Lanz is appearing in court in Fulton County on the following charges:
- One count of burglary in the 1st degree for the Cameron Ridge Drive incident
- One count of burglary in the 1st degree for the Cameron Glen Drive incident
- One count of home invasion in the 1st degree
- Ten counts of felony obstruction
- Ten counts of aggravated assault on a police officer
- Ten counts of attempted murder on a police officer
- One count of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony
- One count of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit
Police said Lanz is currently in Fulton County Jail for charges related to Friday's incident in Sandy Springs.
Timothy Hicks has worked for the Cherokee County Fire Department since 2016.
In a statement, the Cherokee County Fire Department said that Hicks had "always been recognized as a happy, funny, loved-by-many kind of guy."
"He was always a highly motivated, energetic individual who deeply loved his job as a firefighter and consistently worked to do better and be better every day," a spokesperson told FOX 5. "He was really thrilled on his recent accomplishment of completing his paramedic program training. Justin has touched and impacted many lives, and he will be dearly missed."
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