Mom Watches in Horror as Ex-Cop Allegedly Kills Their Son, 11, on Home Camera. Hours Later, He’s Killed by Police By Sean Neumann

A former Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Tuesday morning following a high-speed chase just hours after he allegedly stabbed and killed his 11-year-old son — a killing witnessed by the boy’s mother, who saw the horror live on home security footage.

Marvin Morales, the 40-year-old former Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy, was killed in an officer-involved shooting after he crashed his car along a California highway, according to his former sheriff’s office.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday night that Morales crashed his car near Interstate 5 and Highway 12 before officers began firing at him.

“Two Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies, along with officers from other agencies, fired at Morales,” striking him before the former deputy was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.

It’s unclear whether Morales fired gunshots at officers during the incident. PEOPLE reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information about the shooting but did not immediately hear back on Wednesday morning.

News camera footage captured by local KPTV and KCRA showed a vehicle crashed into a tree at the scene of the alleged incident.

The dramatic end to the high-speed chase came after Morales’ wife called 911 that morning, saying she had watched him stab their 11-year-old son to death on a home-security camera, according to KPTV, KCRA, and NBC News.

“Just after 8 a.m., the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a homicide on the 7600 block of Ferrell Way in Elk Grove, where the Elk Grove Police Department discovered that an 11-year-old boy had been murdered,” the sheriff’s office said in its news release Tuesday.

Authorities said Elk Grove Police broadcasted Morales’ vehicle description to surrounding police agencies. Shortly after, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper spotted Morales’ car “and immediately alerted dispatch.”

“Sheriff Cooper, deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, and officers from multiple allied agencies attempted to conduct a vehicle stop,” the sheriff’s office said. “Morales fled, leading them on a vehicle pursuit that ended near Interstate 5 and Highway 12, where an officer-involved shooting ensued.”

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office confirmed at a news conference Tuesday night that Morales was a former Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy, according to KPTV. The outlet reported that Morales had been fired in February 2024 after he was caught using drugs.

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NBC News reported that Morales had confiscated what he believed to be methamphetamine from a suspect and smoked the drugs in the sheriff station’s bathroom before overdosing on what turned out to be fentanyl. Morales was reportedly revived and taken to a local hospital, and later submitted a letter of resignation before being officially fired over the incident.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that the California Highway Patrol has launched an investigation into the shooting that killed Morales, while in the meantime two of its deputies have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.