In the late afternoon of January 14, 2022, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet outside the Timeless Gallery rental hall on John R Road in Hazel Park, Michigan. Inside a black 2018 Mercedes Benz, 29-year-old Nathan E. Jacobs, a male, and his companion, Eddie C. Matthews, also 29, were fatally wounded. The two men were attending a memorial for another individual who had been killed when they were targeted in what police believe was an act of retaliatory violence.
Investigators
determined that at approximately 4:40 p.m., a group of men approached the Mercedes and opened fire with semiautomatic handguns before fleeing the scene in a vehicle. The brazen nature of the attack, carried out in broad daylight, left the community shaken. Hazel Park Police, with assistance from the Oakland County Sheriff's Forensic Unit, launched an intensive investigation, reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses to identify those responsible.
The investigation led to the identification of three suspects: Keko Martin, Ricco Hicks, and his brother, Michael Hicks. In February 2022, Michael Hicks was apprehended and charged with two counts of first-degree homicide and conspiracy to commit murder, among other felony weapons charges. He was denied bond and his case was bound over to the Oakland County Circuit Court. Later, in September 2023, Keko Martin was also taken into custody and faced similar charges.
In a significant development, Keko Martin was convicted in September 2025 of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, and multiple felony firearm offenses. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. While two of the three suspects have been brought to answer for the deaths of Nathan E. Jacobs and Eddie C. Matthews, the third, Ricco Hicks, remains a fugitive from justice. Authorities have offered a cash reward for information leading to his arrest.
