Married couple killed in shooting; search for suspect underway
By Dean Fioresi
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SIMI VALLEY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Police say that a married couple in their 60s was shot and killed inside their Simi Valley home on Sunday afternoon and that they’re now looking at their stepson as a possible suspect.
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” radiologist for more than 30 years, the healthcare non-profit said.
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 the suspect walked up the driveway of the home and into the garage before opening fire.
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.
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. They say that they’ve been communicating with SVPD and are looking into possibilities that the incidents are connected.
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.
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