A Simi Valley couple were gunned down at their home by the husband’s son, who then fled to Chino, set his car on fire and fatally shot himself, police said.
The grisly double homicide unfolded around noon Sunday when officers with the Simi Valley Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls for gunfire in the 500 block of Hawks Bill Place.
There they found Eric Cordes, 63, and Vicki Cordes, 66, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside their garage. The victims were transported to a local hospital and later pronounced dead, police said.
Eric Cordes was a “beloved physician” and radiologist at Adventist Health Simi Valley who served the Simi Valley community “with compassion and excellence for nearly 30 years,” according to a statement shared by Alice Issai, the hospital’s president.
The slaying rattled the peaceful residential community — which averages around one homicide a year — and left neighbors searching for answers on the suspected killer.
Police initially said they believed the attack was targeted, but the suspected shooter’s identity was not revealed until Tuesday when the San Bernardino County medical examiner confirmed that the corpse pulled from the burned car in Chino was 37-year-old Keith Cordes.
Police believe that he opened fire on his father and stepmother before fleeing in a black Honda Civic. Detectives used license plate recognition cameras to track the vehicle, which was registered to Keith, as it traveled southbound on the 210 Freeway before exiting in Chino and parking near Ayala Park.
In coordination with Chino police, detectives learned that an individual inside the car set the vehicle on fire before fatally shooting himself. Initially, the severe burns prevented identification, police said.
Investigators retrieved a handgun from the vehicle and believe it is the weapon used to kill the couple. Keith was a resident of Kentucky, and Simi Valley police are continuing to investigate the motive behind the attack. The medical examiner is conducting additional forensic testing.
“The Adventist Health Simi Valley community is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our longtime colleague, Dr. Eric Cordes, and his wife, Vicki,” said Issai. “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him as we grieve this shocking loss.”
