A California radiologist and his wife were found fatally shot outside their home on Sunday, and police say his son, who later died by suicide, is the main suspect in the homicide.

The Simi Valley Police Department said in a statement that officers responded to reports of gunfire at a residence in the area and found Eric Cordes, 63, and his wife, Vickie Cordes, 66, with multiple gunshot wounds inside their open garage.

The couple was taken to a local trauma center, where they were pronounced dead.

Witnesses told detectives that the suspect approached the home’s open garage and opened fire before fleeing in a black sedan with out-of-state license plates, according to the police statement.

Detectives identified a car leaving the area and heading south that belonged to Keith Cordes, 37, the son of Eric Cordes and the stepson of Vicki Cordes, who was from Kentucky.

Police tracked the car to Chino and found that the owner of the car had set it on fire before fatally shooting himself.

While burns initially delayed the identification of the person inside the car, the San Bernardino County Medical Examiner was able to confirm that the deceased person was Keith Cordes and that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The incident remains under investigation, but detectives believe the firearm found inside Keith Cordes’ car is the same one used to shoot Eric Cordes and Vicki Cordes.

The circumstances and motive of the double homicide are not immediately clear, police said.

Adventist Health Simi Valley confirmed in a statement to NBC Los Angeles that Eric Cordes worked at the hospital as a radiologist for nearly three decades.

“The Adventist Health Simi Valley community is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our longtime colleague, Dr. Eric Cordes, and his wife, Vicki,” the statement said. “Dr. Cordes was a highly respected, board-certified radiologist and beloved physician who served this community with compassion and excellence for nearly 30 years.”

The hospital’s statement continued: “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him as we grieve this shocking loss.”

Dr. James Lin Jr., a radiologist at Focus Medical Imaging, called Eric Cordes a “respected radiologist” who worked with the group for several years, according to a statement he provided to NBC News.

“Dr. Eric Cordes was a brilliant, hard-working doctor and a respected colleague. He served the Simi Valley community and surrounding areas throughout his entire career,” Lin said. “Our entire group will be thinking of and praying for him and his family. He will surely be missed.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

A former California sheriff’s deputy suspected of fatally stabbing his 11-year-old son was shot and killed by law enforcement officers on Tuesday after he led them on a car chase along Interstate 5, authorities said.

Police in Elk Grove, near Sacramento, responded around 8 a.m. to a call from a mother who said she was concerned about the safety of her two children after seeing home security footage of their father assaulting their 11-year-old son, officials said.

Responding officers found the boy with stab wounds, police said. He later died at a hospital. His 6-year-old sister was unharmed.

Their father had fled the scene and was spotted driving south on I-5, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

A pursuit ended in a crash near Lodi when the California Highway Patrol deployed a spike strip. After the crash, the suspect was shot by officers, officials said.

He died at a hospital.

The Elk Grove Police Department confirmed to KCRA-TV that the deceased suspect is 40-year-old Marvin Morales, a former Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy.

He had been fired from the agency in February 2024 after being caught using illicit drugs, sheriff’s Sgt. Amar Gandhi told reporters.

At least two deputies were involved in Tuesday’s shooting, Gandhi said.

Elk Grove police said one of their officers was also involved.

No deputies or officers were hurt.

It wasn’t immediately known if Morales fired at law enforcement.

Officials said a gun safe at the suspect’s home was found empty.

The shooting is under investigation.

By Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

The game of musical chairs in the race to be California’s next governor lost another player last week. 

After Democratic businessman Stephen Cloobeck — who was polling at below half a percent — dropped out of the race and endorsed Rep. Eric Swalwell on Monday, at least 10 candidates remain. 

Voters are hardly to blame if the names don’t ring a bell. Though it’s wound on for more than a year now, the 2026 governor’s race remains unexpectedly wide open. In one poll released last month, 44% of surveyed voters did not have a preference for governor and no candidate polled above 15%.

The primary election is next June. Here’s a look at the field right now: 

XAVIER BECERRA

If former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was looking for attention for his campaign, he found it in the form of negative headlines. 

Last month, federal prosecutors indicted a Sacramento powerbroker in an alleged corruption scandal that rocked the state’s Democratic establishment. At its center? A dormant campaign account held by Becerra, from which prosecutors allege Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson conspired with other political consultants to steal $225,000. Williamson is charged with helping to divert the funds to the wife of Becerra’s longtime aide, Sean McCluskie, who has pleaded guilty in the alleged scheme. 

Becerra was California’s first Latino attorney general before serving as a cabinet secretary for former President Joe Biden. He is running primarily on a platform of lowering health care costs. 

He has not been accused of wrongdoing in the case and has said he was unaware of what was happening. But it’s still possible the association — and the implication he wasn’t paying attention — will taint his campaign, already polling at just 8%. 

The controversy is one of a few moments of intrigue in an otherwise quiet race. 

KATIE PORTER

In October, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat, was caught on camera trying to walk out of a TV interview with a reporter who pressed her on whether she needed Republican support in the race. A second video followed, showing Porter berating a staff member during a Zoom call. At the time considered the front-runner, she rode out the news cycle and later said she “could have done better” about the behavior in the videos, but they appeared to have dropped her approval ratings. She is essentially tied with the top Republican candidate. 

Porter made a name for herself as one of a “blue wave” of female, Democratic lawmakers elected to Congress during the first Trump administration in 2018. A law professor at UC Irvine who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate last year, she gained attention for her tough questioning of corporate executives using her signature whiteboard. 

TOM STEYER

Joining a wide field of other Democrats, billionaire investor and climate activist Tom Steyer announced last month he is jumping into the race. 

Steyer, who made his fortune by founding a San Francisco hedge fund, has used his wealth to back liberal causes, including the environment. He’s never held public office before, but ran a short-lived campaign for president in 2020. 

CHAD BIANCO

Pro-Trump Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is neck-and-neck with Porter in the polls, though he is unlikely to last near the top of the pack in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two-to-one and a GOP candidate hasn’t won a statewide seat in nearly 20 years.

The cowboy-hat-toting Bianco has heavily criticized Democratic governance. He argues for loosening regulations on businesses and says he wants to overturn California’s sanctuary law that restricts local police from cooperating with federal deportation officers. 

ERIC SWALWELL 

Other Democrats have focused on their biographies and experiences in government to try to distinguish themselves in a race where name recognition is low across the board. All have said they want to make California more affordable and push back on the Trump administration’s impact on the state. 

Swalwell, a former prosecutor and Bay Area congressman, will likely lean heavily on his anti-Trump bonafides. He was one of several members of Congress appointed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to help lead the second Trump impeachment after the attempted Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and is now the latest Democrat under attack by the Trump administration over his mortgage.

ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA

Former Los Angeles mayor and former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa is among the more moderate of the Democratic field. He boasts of his time running the state’s largest city, during which he boosted the police force. He ran for governor unsuccessfully in 2018. 

BETTY YEE

Former state Controller Betty Yee emphasizes her experience with the state budget and the tax system, having been a top finance office in ex-Gov. Gray Davis’ administration and having sat on the state Board of Equalization. 

TONY THURMOND

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a Democrat, is the only candidate currently in a statewide seat. He emphasizes his background as a social worker who grew up on public assistance programs in a low-income family. He has stated an ambitious goal of building two million housing units on surplus state land. 

IAN CALDERON

Ian Calderon, a former Democratic Assembly majority leader, is emphasizing his relative youth. He was the first millennial member of the state Assembly, and is part of a Los Angeles County political dynasty. He has some ties to the cryptocurrency industry and has name-dropped it in ads and debates. 

STEVE HILTON

Republican Steve Hilton, a Fox News contributor, was an adviser for British conservative Prime Minister David Cameron before pivoting to American politics. Before launching his campaign he released a book this year calling California “America’s worst-run state.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.