Free Republic

Investigators have not revealed a motive in the ambush-style killing of Pentagon police officer George Gonzalez, 37. But Lanz’s past brushes with the law, and neighbors’ accounts of recent menacing behavior, appear to suggest the violence was more likely the act of a troubled, violence-prone individual than part of a broader conspiracy. This April 2021 image provided by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office shows a booking photo of Austin Williams Lanz. On the right, an undated photo provided by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency shows Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez.

Two law enforcement officers told ABC News that after stabbing the officer, Lanz disarmed him and shot him with his own gun. The officers fatally shot Lanz in response to the attack, however, it is unclear whether the suspect shot himself or was killed by responding officers. Lanz was detained earlier this year after purportedly enlisting in the US Marine Corps in 2012 and being “administratively separated” barely a month later. According to online court records obtained by AP, Lanz was arrested in April in Cobb County, Georgia, on criminal trespassing and burglary charges. On the same day as his...