‘Sheer luck’: Sheriff Jim Cooper spots murder suspect on freeway
By Michelle Bandur
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ELK GROVE, California (KCRA) — Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper was among the first to spot the former deputy on the run after he fatally stabbed his 11-year-old son at their Elk Grove home.
“I didn’t want him to see me because he knows me,” said Cooper. “I just followed and was a good observer until the cavalry arrived.”
Cooper, who had fired Marvin Morales, 40, in 2023 after he lied about a fentanyl overdose on duty, was alerted by the Elk Grove police chief when they realized the suspect was a former deputy.
Cooper said, “I figured, let me look for this guy.”
With a description of Morales’ car and license plate, Cooper left his Elk Grove home to assist in the search, eventually spotting Morales on the freeway. He said that as he was merging onto the freeway, he drove right next to Morales.
“Just luck. Sheer luck,” Cooper said.
After Morales hit spike strips and crashed off the freeway, Cooper witnessed the subsequent deadly shooting, in which an Elk Grove officer and two of Cooper’s deputies fired their weapons. Cooper said the officer and deputies were justified in the shooting.
“They did the right thing. They did what they’re supposed to do, what they’re trained to do,” he said.
Due to the investigation, he wouldn’t say if Morales pointed or fired a weapon at them.
“Number one, you have someone that’s committed a violent assault, possibly a murder, and that he’s armed,” said Cooper.
“I’ve been doing this job for 33 years, so I’ve seen a lot over those 33 years. And while it was shocking, it wasn’t surprising,” he added. “You turn on autopilot just to go do your job.”
Cooper said he wasn’t surprised Morales was the suspect in stabbing his own son.
“Who knows what was going on in his mind of his demons or something else? He had a lot of issues. I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
The California Department of Justice will determine if the officers and deputies were justified in the shooting of Morales, and body-worn camera footage will be released at a later date. Cooper confirmed he did not pull his firearm during the incident, despite being close to the situation.
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