Dr. Eric Cordes, 63, a radiologist, and his wife Vicki Cordes, 66, were fatally shot multiple times in the open garage of their Simi Valley, California, home on November 30, 2025, in what police described as a targeted attack.
Incident Details
Simi Valley police responded to gunfire reports around 9:45 p.m. in the 500 block of Hawks Bill Place, finding the couple wounded; they were transported to a hospital but succumbed to injuries. Witnesses saw a white man in his 30s flee in a black sedan with out-of-state plates, later tracked via FLOCK and LPR cameras. Hours later, Chino police discovered the burned sedan near Ayala Park with a deceased person and a handgun nearby, believed linked to the shooting.
Suspect Identification
The San Bernardino County Medical Examiner confirmed the deceased as Keith Cordes, 37, of Kentucky—Dr. Eric Cordes’ son and Vicki’s stepson—on December 2, 2025; investigators link the recovered gun to the murders and view his death as a suicide. Police continue probing the motive, with no ongoing threat to the community. Neighbors had speculated about the stepson early on.
Victim Background
Dr. Cordes served nearly 30 years as a board-certified radiologist at Adventist Health Simi Valley and Focus Medical Imaging, earning praise as a compassionate, respected physician. The hospital expressed heartbreak, noting his long community service.
