Ex-CHP officer kills wife in Southern California, drives to Stockton and shoots man before turning gun on himself, authorities say
A Northern California man who was once a California Highway Patrol officer killed his wife in a Garden Grove home before driving up to Stockton, authorities said, where he shot and injured a man before turning a gun on himself.
Garden Grove police were called just after 8 a.m. Thursday, July 17, to a home in the 11500 block of Morgan Lane, just south of Orangewood Avenue, after receiving requests for a welfare check, Sgt. Nick Jensen said.
Crystal Gonzalez of Lodi, 37, was found dead inside the home, Jensen said. The couple’s two children were found inside unharmed and unaware of what exactly happened.
How Gonzalez died was not disclosed by police.
Police identified the suspect as Gonzalez’s husband, Miguel Lopez, 35, who they say was seen leaving the home early Thursday. The neighborhood of single-family homes sits less than a mile south of Disneyland.
The family was in a short-term rental for the house. Police did not know what, if any, plans the family had during their stay.
The Stockton Police Department told Garden Grove police that Lopez was involved in a shooting in its jurisdiction.
CBS News reported Lopez shot another man at a gym in Stockton then shot himself. Stockton police did not identify Lopez as the shooter, only that the shooter was 35 and had died.
That victim, a 55-year-old man, was hospitalized, police said.
Lopez was a former California Highway Patrol officer who last worked with the department in 2022, the CHP said Friday afternoon.
The CHP identified him as Miguel Lopez-Cuen and said he was first assigned to the department’s Hayward Area office in March 2017, then transferred to the Stockton Area office in April 2020 before “separating” from the department in August 2022.
“The alleged conduct of this former employee does not reflect the professionalism of the thousands of CHP members who pledge to provide the highest level of safety, service and security to the people of California,” the CHP said in a statement. “The CHP extends its thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of those involved in this tragedy.”
Whether the two men knew each other was unclear.
Friday, Jensen said investigators had not found any criminal history for Lopez and motives for the shootings were not known.
If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.