A quiet Simi Valley neighborhood was rocked by a shocking double homicide Sunday when a husband and wife were gunned down in their own garage by the husband’s son, who then fled the scene, set his car on fire in Chino, and fatally shot himself.
Around noon, multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire brought Simi Valley Police to the 500 block of Hawks Bill Place, where they found Eric Cordes, 63, and Vicki Cordes, 66, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Both victims were rushed to a local hospital but were later pronounced dead.
Eric Cordes was a beloved physician and radiologist at Adventist Health Simi Valley, where he served the community for nearly 30 years, earning a reputation for compassion and excellence, according to hospital president Alice Issai.
The suspected shooter, 37-year-old Keith Cordes, fled the scene in a black Honda Civic. Police tracked the car using license plate recognition cameras as it traveled south on the 210 Freeway and exited in Chino, where Keith parked near Ayala Park. Investigators believe he set the vehicle on fire before taking his own life. Initially, the body could not be identified due to severe burns. A handgun recovered from the vehicle is believed to be the weapon used in the killings.
Keith Cordes was reportedly a Kentucky resident, and authorities are continuing to investigate the motive behind the horrific attack. Additional forensic testing is being conducted by the medical examiner.
“The Adventist Health Simi Valley community is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our longtime colleague, Dr. Eric Cordes, and his wife, Vicki,” said Issai. “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him as we grieve this shocking loss.”
Neighbors, stunned by the violence, said the peaceful residential area — which typically sees about one homicide per year — has been left searching for answers.
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A peaceful residential area that sees about one homicide per year? That is NOT a peaceful neighborhood. We live in a town of about 30K people – in the original old section of town that’s been here since it was founded in the early 1900’s, and is now mostly very old houses where people of low middle class income live, and we don’t go shooting each other. I can’t recall when the last time there was a murder in our neighborhood as it’s been that long ago. I would not feel safe in a neighborhood that has about one homicide per year – and now that doubled for them.
This must be investigated to get to the motive