A former California Highway Patrol officer from Lodi and his wife are dead, and a Stockton man is critically injured after what police are calling a murder-suicide Thursday.
At about 7:58 a.m., Stockton Police Department received a report of a person shot at the CrossFit gym in the 800 block of West Eight Mile Road.
Responding officers found two men with gunshot wounds. A 35-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a 54-year-old man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
A gun was recovered at the scene, and police said the shooting appeared to be a murder-suicide. They added that detectives were not searching for anyone else, as the 35-year-old man was considered the suspect in the shooting investigation.
The suspect was later identified by authorities as Miguel Lopez-Cuen, a former California Highway Patrol officer. He worked out of the Hayward station and later in the Stockton office.
Stockton police said the two men knew each other. The name of the 54-year-old man was not released.
Lopez-Cuen is also suspected of killing his wife in Garden Grove, authorities said.
The Garden Grove Police Department said officers conducted a welfare check at a home on Morgan Lane after someone staying there called to report that their mother needed assistance.
Upon arrival, officers found a woman dead inside the home, according to Garden Grove police. Two children in the home were uninjured and told officers they didn’t know what had happened.
Garden Grove police said the woman, 37-year-old Crystal Gonzales, was the wife of Lopez-Cuen and the mother of the two children who were at the home.
Lopez-Cuen was not present when Garden Grove police arrived, and officers found no evidence of forced entry into the home.
Southern California investigators began searching for Lopez and were notified by family members that he was in Stockton.
The Garden Grove Police Department contacted the Stockton Police Department and learned of Lopez’s involvement in the shooting at the CrossFit gym on West Eight Mile Road.
Garden Grove police said an investigation into the deaths is ongoing. They asked that anyone with information call them at (714) 741-5413.
The California Highway Patrol released a statement about the incidents on Friday.
“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,” said Officer Angel Arceo, a CHP spokesperson. “The CHP extends its thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of those involved in this terrible tragedy.”
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Former California Highway Patrol officer suspected of killing wife, shooting man in Stockton
Reporting by Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record / The Record
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