CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Days after a Cherokee County firefighter and his wife were shot to death in their home, the county has lost another first responder.
A young deputy, Zackary Barksdale, has died, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
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The department did not release Barksdale’s age or cause of death. He was a deputy at the adult detention center who had been with the sheriff’s department for 2 1/2 years.
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“Deputy Barksdale was an exemplary employee who always had a smile on his face,” the sheriff wrote on Facebook. “He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Last week, Cherokee County firefighter Justin Hicks and his wife, Amber, who were both 30 years old, were shot to death inside their Acworth home. Their neighbor, Matthew Lanz, has been charged with their murders. Their 2-year-old son was unharmed.
Lanz is also charged with stabbing a Sandy Springs police officer in the bizarre series of violent crimes.
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