A Simi Valley couple had been gunned down at their house by the husband’s son, who then fled to Chino, set his automotive on fireplace and fatally shot himself, police mentioned.
The grisly double murder unfolded round midday Sunday when officers with the Simi Valley Police Division responded to a number of 911 requires gunfire within the 500 block of Hawks Invoice Place.
There they discovered Eric Cordes, 63, and Vicki Cordes, 66, affected by a number of gunshot wounds inside their storage. The victims had been transported to a neighborhood hospital and later pronounced lifeless, police mentioned.
Eric Cordes was a “beloved doctor” and radiologist at Adventist Well being Simi Valley who served the Simi Valley group “with compassion and excellence for almost 30 years,” in line with an announcement shared by Alice Issai, the hospital’s president.
The slaying rattled the peaceable residential group — which averages round one murder a 12 months — and left neighbors trying to find solutions on the suspected killer.
Police initially mentioned they believed the assault was focused, however the suspected shooter’s identification was not revealed till Tuesday when the San Bernardino County medical expert confirmed that the corpse pulled from the burned automotive in Chino was 37-year-old Keith Cordes.
Police imagine that he opened fireplace on his father and stepmother earlier than fleeing in a black Honda Civic. Detectives used license plate recognition cameras to trace the car, which was registered to Keith, because it traveled southbound on the 210 Freeway earlier than exiting in Chino and parking close to Ayala Park.
In coordination with Chino police, detectives discovered that a person contained in the automotive set the car on fireplace earlier than fatally taking pictures himself. Initially, the extreme burns prevented identification, police mentioned.
Investigators retrieved a handgun from the car and imagine it’s the weapon used to kill the couple. Keith was a resident of Kentucky, and Simi Valley police are persevering with to analyze the motive behind the assault. The medical expert is conducting further forensic testing.
“The Adventist Well being Simi Valley group is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our longtime colleague, Dr. Eric Cordes, and his spouse, Vicki,” mentioned Issai. “Our hearts are together with his household, pals, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him as we grieve this surprising loss.”
