Georgia man charged with killing firefighter neighbor and his wife

COBB COUNTY, Ga. (TCD) -- A 22-year-old man was indicted last week for allegedly killing his neighbor — a firefighter — and his wife, and then leaving their young child alone in the home.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports a grand jury indicted Matthew Lanz on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, home invasion, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and child cruelty.

Lanz allegedly broke into the new home of Justin and Amber Hicks on Verbena Drive on the night of Nov. 17, 2021. He reportedly fatally shot them, and their bodies were found the next day. The Hicks' 2-year-old son was home when the shooting reportedly occurred, but he was not harmed.

WXIA-TV reports Justin and Amber Hicks were both 31 years old. WXIA, citing the indictment, says Lanz left the young child "alone and unsupervised for approximately 12 hours during which Jacob Hicks was unable to feed himself, change his diaper, or get the attention of his parents."

Lanz got involved with law enforcement the day after the Hicks' bodies were found. According to Sandy Springs Police, on Nov. 19, 2021, at approximately 8:30 a.m., residents at a home on Cameron Glen Drive called police because of an intruder in their home. Officers arrived at the scene and saw the suspect, later identified as Lanz, still inside.

Sandy Springs Police said they tried using a Taser to "subdue the suspect," but Lanz allegedly "started stabbing the officer multiple times." One officer reportedly shot Lanz in order to "stop the attack."

The officer was transported to a hospital and later released.

Lanz faces several charges in Fulton County regarding the officer stabbing, which include 10 counts of felony obstruction, 10 counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, 10 counts of attempted murder on a police officer, and more.

In August, Lanz’s brother Austin reportedly fatally stabbed a Pentagon police officer. Austin was shot and killed by law enforcement officials, according to The Associated Press.

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