Authorities say the 40-year-old fled Elk Grove after the stabbing and was killed following a pursuit that ended near Lodi.
LODI, CA — A former Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy suspected of fatally stabbing his 11-year-old son was shot and killed by law enforcement Tuesday after a high-speed chase on Interstate 5 that ended near the Highway 12 junction outside Lodi, authorities said.
Officials said the case began shortly after 8 a.m. in Elk Grove, when a mother called police after seeing home-security video that showed the boy’s father attacking their child. Officers found the boy with multiple stab wounds at a house on the 7600 block of Ferrell Way; he later died at a hospital. A 6-year-old girl in the home was not physically hurt. Investigators identified the suspect as Marvin Morales, 40, a former Sacramento County deputy who had been separated from the agency last year after an internal investigation into drug use. The chase, crash and police gunfire that followed brought multiple agencies into a fast-moving inquiry that now spans two counties and several scenes.
Authorities said Morales fled before Elk Grove officers arrived. Sacramento County deputies spotted his vehicle heading south on I-5 near Pocket Road, triggering a pursuit that stretched roughly 30 miles. California Highway Patrol officers deployed a spike strip near the Highway 12 interchange; the car crashed soon afterward on the southbound side of the freeway. At least two sheriff’s deputies and one Elk Grove officer fired their weapons after the crash, officials said. No officers were injured. The freeway was partially closed for hours during the investigation and later reopened Tuesday night. “We are heartbroken by the tragic incident that took place in our Elk Grove community,” the Elk Grove Unified School District said in a statement as counselors were mobilized for students and staff.
Elk Grove police said the mother, who was away from home, had access to interior cameras and called 911 after watching the assault in real time. When officers reached the residence on Ferrell Way, they found the 11-year-old with life-threatening wounds; medics took him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The girl at the house, age 6, was evaluated at a hospital and released to her mother. Investigators searched the residence and noted an empty gun safe, according to sheriff’s officials. It was not immediately known whether Morales fired a weapon during the confrontation with officers after the crash, and investigators did not release what, if anything, was recovered from his vehicle at the scene. The coroner’s office will release the boy’s name after family notifications.
Records from a 2023 internal affairs investigation show Morales overdosed on fentanyl while on duty after smoking narcotics he had seized, and fellow deputies revived him with Narcan at the sheriff’s central station. The department said he later admitted taking home a confiscated methamphetamine pipe that year and using drug residue. Morales resigned in early February 2024 and was subsequently terminated, according to the agency. Elk Grove police said detectives are reviewing prior calls for service involving the family and canvassing the neighborhood near Whitelock Parkway and Bruceville Road for additional video. Neighbors described a quiet block that filled with squad cars and tape Tuesday morning as school drop-offs were ending.
Under California law, the state Department of Justice reviews officer-involved shootings where a civilian dies. CHP initiated the freeway scene inquiry before transferring it to state investigators, officials said. Sacramento County sheriff’s detectives are handling the chase and suspect-identification portions, while Elk Grove police lead the homicide investigation tied to the child’s death. Autopsies for both Morales and the boy are pending. Authorities did not immediately disclose how many rounds officers fired, the types of weapons discharged, or whether body-worn camera video would be released. Officials said traffic investigators documented the I-5 scene for most of the day, which caused a prolonged closure near the Thornton Road and Highway 12 area.
At the Elk Grove home, candles and flowers were left by early evening. Parents walking children past the block stopped to speak quietly with officers and one another about the violence that unfolded after the morning call. A woman who brought a bouquet described the mood in the neighborhood as “heartbreak and disbelief,” saying families were trying to comfort the surviving child and her mother. Sheriff Jim Cooper was among the first officials to spot the suspect vehicle on I-5, according to the sheriff’s office. Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the agency, said at least two deputies were involved in the shooting and none were injured. “This is an unimaginable loss for the family and for our community,” Gandhi said.
Investigators said the early timeline remains fixed around the mother’s call just after 8 a.m., the discovery of the wounded boy minutes later, and the chase that began near Pocket Road and ended with a crash just south of the Highway 12 interchange. Detectives are working to determine what prompted the attack, whether any weapons from the home are unaccounted for, and whether Morales communicated with anyone between the assault and the freeway stop. Officials said additional details could be released after autopsies and preliminary ballistics reviews are completed. Agencies involved said they expect to announce the next briefing after evidence from the Elk Grove scene and the freeway shooting is processed later this week.
Author note: Last updated December 3, 2025.