A former deputy suspected in the fatal stabbing of his 11-year-old child in Elk Grove was shot and killed by law enforcement along Interstate Highway 5 in San Joaquin County Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The shooting happened following a chase along the interstate just south of Highway 12 sometime before 10 a.m. Elk Grove police said the shooting involved one of its officers and that no officers were hurt. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said two of its deputies shot at Morales, along with other officers, and that all of its deputies were unhurt. It was unclear which law enforcement agency fired the fatal shots.

The injured suspect, identified as 40-year-old Marvin Morales, was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol. 

The Elk Grove Police Department said in a social media post that a woman called just after 8 a.m. Tuesday, saying she was concerned about the safety of her two children, who were at home with their father. Officers responded to the 7600 block of Ferrell Way and found an 11-year-old who had been stabbed and a 6-year-old who was unharmed, police said. 

At a press conference on Tuesday, a police spokesperson said the child's mother saw on the home's security cameras the father assaulting the son and called police immediately. The 11-year-old died of his injuries at the hospital, police said. 

The boy was identified by the Sacramento County coroner on Wednesday as Mar Aris Untalan Morales.

Morales fled before officers arrived at the home, where officers found a gun safe that had been emptied, police said. He was later found traveling on southbound I-5 near Pocket Road, where a short chase began and ended near Highway 12 west of Lodi.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. Amar Gandhi said Sheriff Jim Cooper was on his way to work Tuesday when he spotted the suspect vehicle after Elk Grove police sent it to surrounding agencies. Gandhi said Cooper heard he was armed, knew of his history with the Sheriff's Office, and was involved in the pursuit.

CHP Chief Tyler Eccles said officers used a spike strip to disable the suspect vehicle, which led to a solo-vehicle crash and the vehicle coming to rest in a ditch. It was not clear whether Morales fired at police or if he was inside the car when he was shot, Eccles said.   

"This is a horrific and senseless tragedy. I am heartbroken to learn that this little boy was killed by his own father. It is hard to make sense of this violence. My heart goes out to his grieving mother," Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said.

The Elk Grove Unified School District confirmed the 11-year-old was one of their students, and said it would be providing counseling and additional resources to students and staff.

"During this difficult time, our thoughts are with everyone affected," EGUSD said. 

Traffic along I-5 was shut down at Highway 12 following the chase and shooting, according to the Sheriff's Office.  

The California Department of Justice is investigating the officer-involved shooting under Assembly Bill 1506, which states the DOJ will investigate all officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed person. 

Morales is a former Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy who resigned from the department last year after an internal affairs investigation determined he overdosed on fentanyl. The Sheriff's Office fired him days after he submitted a resignation letter that cited "personal reasons" for his departure. 

The investigation alleged that Morales had used narcotics seized from misdemeanor drug busts, and in October 2023, he was found unconscious on a public bathroom floor at the Sheriff's Office. He was revived with multiple doses of naloxone, or Narcan, before being taken to a hospital.

View case documents.  

It was originally reported that Morales was unintentionally exposed to chemicals, until the sheriff's internal review determined that Morales "used his position of authority to confiscate narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia from members of the public and held them accountable for the violations."

Morales was fired from the Sheriff's Office in February and had no peace officer powers, Gandhi said.