Suspect accused of stabbing Georgia officer charged with shooting deaths of firefighter, wife murdered inside family home

A suspect accused of stabbing a Sandy Springs, Georgia, police officer Friday has been charged in the shooting deaths of a Cherokee County firefighter and his wife.

22-year-old Matthew Lanz, of Acworth, was arrested and is being held at Fulton County Jail, facing multiple charges related to a Sandy Springs break-in where law enforcement says he stabbed a police officer who responded to the scene.

Another officer shot Lanz, who was treated at a hospital before he was later taken into police custody, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Cobb police have now identified Lanz as the suspect in the fatal shootings of Cherokee County firefighter Justin Hicks and his wife, Amber Hicks, both 31, of Cobb County. Police found the couple dead from gunshot wounds inside the Acworth family home around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. The pair's two-year-old child was also found unharmed in the house and is safe with family members.

Justin Hicks worked for over six years with the Cherokee County Fire Department and just completed training to become a paramedic. On social media, Chief Tim Prather of the Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services described the deceased firefighter as 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 family friend have since created a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs of raising and caring for the son left behind and for funeral expenses.

Lanz is facing two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, home invasion, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, Cobb police said. The Fulton County Sheriff's Office told Channel 2 Action News that Lanz lived directly around the corner from the Hicks home and that the property on Delphinium Boulevard shares a backyard fence with the couple's residence.

Police have not released a motive for the Cobb County couple's slayings.

"Our Cobb County Crimes Against Persons Unit has been working nonstop since this incident happened, and that's why they were able to get a suspect as quickly as they did," Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Wayne Delk told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. "There's still some work to do to cross the T's and a process, but for the most part, this case has been solved," Delk said of the murders.

Lanz will be charged with 35 individual counts in the separate Sandy Springs incident, which include 10 counts of attempted murder on a police officer, 10 counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, 10 counts of felony obstruction, two counts of first-degree burglary and one count each of first-degree home invasion, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. The officer who was stabbed on Friday was hospitalized and has since been released, police said.

The Sandy Springs Police Department confirmed that Lanz is the brother of Austin William Lanz, the 27-year-old man who made national headlines when he allegedly stabbed an officer to death at a bus stop near the Pentagon in August.

After the fatal stabbing of officer George Gonzalez, Lanz, who was out on bond on two criminal cases in Cobb County, used the cop's service weapon to kill himself outside the headquarters of the US military, the FBI Washington field office said.

According to court records, Lanz was also accused of seriously injuring two deputies while in jail, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Lanz had open criminal cases in Cobb on several charges, including aggravated battery against an officer, terroristic threats and burglary, the local outlet cited.