Sacramento Sheriff’s Office identifies suspect in fatal wellness center stabbings

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s office on Saturday identified the man accused of fatally stabbing two people on Friday and wounding two others at a psychiatric health facility in Carmichael.

Martin Raymond Lackey-Garcia, 39, was arrested Friday afternoon at the Wellness and Recovery Center in the 3600 block of Mission Avenue, just south of Engle Road. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of murder.

Sacramento County investigators say the man appeared to know the four victims. It remained unclear Saturday what his connection was to the center, but Lackey-Garcia was known to the employees, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Additional details about the hospitalized victims were not available Saturday morning.

A representative from the center did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

It appeared that the stabbing occurred inside the center where there were about 20 to 30 people, Deputy Lacey Nelson said Friday during a briefing with reporters at the scene. When deputies arrived, they found people running out of the center.

“It does sound like it was pretty chaotic,” Nelson said. “People were running out asking for help, pointing to where they thought victims were located or the suspect was. Fortunately, the suspect was detained without (further) incident.”

One weapon had been recovered, Nelson said.

The recovery center’s website indicates it provides peer support groups for Sacramento County residents and offers clinical services, including psychiatry and rehabilitation, for people who qualify. The center’s services “are based on increasing resiliency, improving problem-solving, creating or maintaining positive and healthy relationships and creating opportunities to build the relationships.”

This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 10:52 AM.