(NewsNation) — A former California sheriff’s deputy accused of stabbing his son to death was fatally shot by police Tuesday after a high-speed chase.
Police responded to the Sacramento home of Marvin Morales on Tuesday after his wife called 911 to report she had seen him stabbing their 11-year-old son on their home surveillance video from work. Police arrived at the home to find the boy unresponsive, and he later died at a local hospital, NewsNation affiliate KTXL reported.
Morales’ car was spotted by Jim Cooper of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office a short time later, traveling southbound on Interstate 5. In a social media post, the sheriff’s office said multiple agencies attempted to pull Morales over.
The chase reportedly reached speeds of 100 mph before a spike strip forced Morales’s car off the roadway, according to NBC News. The sheriff’s office said two deputies, along with officers from other agencies, opened fire on Morales, who was later pronounced dead.
Morales was a former deputy with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. He was reportedly terminated in February 2024, after he overdosed on fentanyl while on duty at the office, with fellow officers reviving him by using Narcan, according to KTXL. An internal report determined Morales had seized the drugs during a suspicious person stop, kept them and ingested them, believing it was methamphetamine.
The sheriff’s office said it was working with the California Highway Patrol to investigate Tuesday’s shooting and that the two deputies involved had been placed on administrative leave.