Have you seen this man? He’s the accused shooter in Houston County slaying, cops say

An arrest warrant on the charge of murder has been issued for 26-year-old Kevin Leonard Hobbs in a shooting earlier this week in a heavily-wooded area off Ga. 247, Houston County sheriff’s investigators say.

Hobbs is considered armed and dangerous, according to a Houston County Sheriff’s Office news release. He is described as standing 5 feet 11 inches, weighing 180 pounds, and having brown and blue eyes.

Danny Ray Hicks of Madison was shot in the chest and the leg shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday and later died at the Houston County Medical Center.

Hicks, who was visiting friends in the area, had gone with a “female companion” who is also from Madison to check on a vacant residence in the middle of the wooded area when investigators say they encountered a man. The man was later identified as Hobbs, according to Houston County sheriff’s Lt. Kent Bankston.

The men struggled briefly before Hobbs allegedly pulled out a pistol and fired upon Hicks, striking him in the chest and leg. Arriving deputies rendered aid to Hicks until emergency medical technicians arrived and took over.

Hicks was pronounced dead at the hospital at 11:11 p.m.

Hicks was found about 75 to 100 feet from the home that appeared uninhabitable, Bankston said.

Houston County sheriff’s Capt. Jon Holland said the shooter, later identified as Hobbs, was trespassing on the property and “possibly may have been involved in the theft of some items from ... that property.”

Hobbs and Hicks “to my knowledge ... did not know each other at all,” Holland said.

It is not known if Hobbs was squatting on the property. Hobbs, of Byron, had recently become homeless and was believed to be living in the woods in that general area, Holland said.

The residence has fire damage and is falling apart, Holland said. A camper is parked nearby. The property is owned by a Bonaire-area resident, who is the mother of the woman who was with Hicks when he confronted Hobbs, Holland said.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Hobbs or about the incident is asked to call Houston County sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Middlebrooks at 478-542-2080, or call 911.

This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 2:09 PM.