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Morales had been fired from the agency in February 2024 after being caught using illicit drugs
Independent StaffWednesday 03 December 2025 17:26 GMT
CloseThe Elk Grove Police Department confirmed to KCRA-TV that the suspect was 40-year-old Marvin Morales, a former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy.
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A former sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed by California law enforcement officers on Tuesday after he was suspected of fatally stabbing his 11-year-old son.
Police in Elk Grove, about 25 miles outside of Sacramento, responded to a call from a mother around 8 a.m. who was concerned for her children’s safety after seeing their father assaulting their son on home security footage, according to authorities.
Responding officers found the boy with stab wounds, police said. He later died in a hospital from his injuries. His 6-year-old sister was unharmed.
The Elk Grove Police Department confirmed to KCRA-TV that the suspect was 40-year-old Marvin Morales, a former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy.
Morales had fled the scene by the time the responding officers found his stabbed son. He was spotted driving south on I-5, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
A pursuit ended in a crash near Lodi when the California Highway Patrol deployed a spike strip. After the collision, the suspect was shot by officers, officials said. He died in a hospital.
At a news conference, a Sacramento County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said Sheriff Jim Cooper was one of the first law enforcement officials who spotted the suspect vehicle on the southbound I-5 and Pocket Road.
Morales had been fired from the agency in February 2024 after being caught using illicit drugs, Sheriff's Sgt. Amar Gandhi told reporters.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Office public information officer Sgt. Amar Gandhi addressing the media (AP)At least two deputies were involved in Tuesday's shooting, Gandhi said. Elk Grove police said one of their officers was also involved. No deputies or officers were hurt.
It wasn't immediately known if Morales fired at law enforcement. Officials said a gun safe at the suspect's home was found empty.
The shooting is under investigation and per department protocols, the two deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave, the sheriff’s office said.
