SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Authorities have identified the shooter in the deaths of a Simi Valley couple as their 37-year-old son, Keith Cordes, of Kentucky.
Simi Valley Police said Keith Cordes killed his father, Eric G. Cordes, 63, and stepmother, Vicki Cordes, 66, on Nov. 30 at their home in the Wood Ranch neighborhood. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances and motive behind the shootings.
Police responded around noon on Nov. 30 to the 500 block of Hawks Bill Place after reports of shots fired. Eric and Vicki were found with gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital, where they later died.
Later that day, a vehicle matching the description of one at the Cordes’ home was seen in Chino. A man died after setting the car on fire in Ayala Park and apparently shooting himself when Chino police arrived.
Simi Valley Police confirmed on Dec. 2 that the man was Keith Cordes. San Bernardino County officials said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the fire caused significant burns that initially made identification difficult.
Forensic testing is still pending, but detectives believe the firearm recovered from Keith Cordes’ suicide is the same weapon used in the killings of Eric and Vicki Cordes.
Eric Cordes’ employer, Adventist Health Simi Valley, praised him as a respected radiologist and expressed shock at the deaths, though no further details were provided.
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