Shooting deaths of Simi Valley doctor and his wife connected to deadly car fire in Chino, police say
Police say that a married couple in their 60s was shot and killed inside their Simi Valley home on Sunday afternoon, and they believe a death by suicide dozens of miles south may be connected.
Officers were dispatched to the Wood Ranch neighborhood just after 12 p.m. upon learning of shots fired at a home in the 500 block of Hawks Bill Place, according to a news release from the Simi Valley Police Department.
When officers arrived at the home, they found two people suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to police. They were both pronounced dead at around 7 p.m.
Adventist Health Simi Valley later identified the victims as Dr. Eric Cordes and his wife, Vicki. Cordes was a "highly respected, board-certified radiologist and beloved physician who served this community with compassion and excellence for nearly 30 years," said a statement from the healthcare agency.
Coworkers of Vicki say that she worked as a fitness instructor at a nearby gym.
Investigators told CBS Los Angeles that they did not believe the incident was random and that it did not appear to be a domestic incident. Callers told SVPD officers that they saw an older black Honda Civic pull up, followed by a man holding a handgun as he walked up the driveway and opened fire in the garage.
Police later said that they were looking into a potential connection with a car fire and death by suicide that happened more than 70 miles away at Ayala Park in Chino. Sergeant Rick Morton said during a Monday news conference that the burned Honda Civic found in Chino was the same car involved in the Simi Valley double homicide.
Chino Police Department officers told CBS Los Angeles that they responded to a death by suicide at the park, located at 14225 Central Avenue, after learning that a car had been set on fire next to a deceased person at around 2:30 p.m.. They arrived and found the person, who had what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Due to the fact of the condition of the subject that was located in Chino, we don't have any information on the suspect pending some type of identification from the San Bernardino Medical Examiner's Office," Morton said.
Officers said that they also recovered a firearm at the scene.
On Tuesday, the San Bernardino County Coroner identified 37-year-old Kentucky man Keith Cordes as the suspect in their shooting. He is the son of Eric Cordes and Vicki Cordes' step-son, police said.
SkyCal flew over the spot of the shooting, where a large amount of blood could be seen inside the garage of a home at the end of a cul-de-sac. There was a large presence of law enforcement officers as the investigation was underway. It also flew over the investigation in Ayala Park, where a burnt-out sedan was seen surrounded by investigators before it was towed from the area.
People were asked to stay away from both areas as the investigations continued, but SVPD and CPD officers said that they did not believe there were any further threats to the public.