Former sheriff’s deputy killed after police chase, accused of stabbing 11-year-old son to death
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- A former Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office deputy was killed in a police shooting following a freeway chase, according to authorities.
- The former deputy, who was fired last year for confiscating and using illegal drugs, is suspected of killing his 11-year-old son.
A former Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and killed Tuesday after he allegedly killed his 11-year-old son and then led authorities on a freeway chase, according to officials.
Around 8 a.m., the Elk Grove Police Department Communications Center got a call from a woman concerned about her two children, who were home alone with their father, according to an Elk Grove Police Department news release.
The woman saw her son lying on the ground unresponsive on home surveillance video, according to the release.
Officers arrived at the 7600 block of Ferrell Way and found an 11-year-old boy suffering from multiple stab wounds, police said. Authorities tried to save the boy’s life before he was hospitalized and pronounced dead.
The father and suspect, 40-year-old Marvin Morales, was a former deputy with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release. Morales left the scene before police arrived.
The 6-year-old girl, presumed to be Morales’ daughter, was evaluated at a local hospital and released to her mother, police said.
Three policing experts said the deputy who ended the pursuit was likely justified in using deadly force because the motorcyclist was a suspect in a homicide and posed a threat to the public.
Other law enforcement agencies were notified about Morales’ vehicle description and he was spotted driving on southbound Interstate 5 near Pocket Road, according to the release. Morales led officers on a chase that ended near Interstate 5 and Highway 12, where he exchanged gunshots with police.
Morales was shot and pronounced dead at a local hospital, officials said. The name of the 11-year-old boy hasn’t been released and will be formally identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
The Elk Grove Police Department Investigations Bureau is investigating the homicide of the boy while the California Highway Patrol is investigating the chase and officer-involved shooting, according to the release.
The Elk Grove Police Department detective involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave per Elk Grove Police Department policy.
Morales was fired last year after an investigation found he lied about using drugs he confiscated from people, according to sheriff’s department documents. Morales overdosed from what he thought was meth but turned out to be fentanyl, according to officials. Deputies had to use Narcan to revive Morales, the documents show.
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