Man Accused of Shooting 2 Palm Springs Officers ID’d

The suspected shooter accused of killing two Palm Springs officers and injuring another was identified early Sunday, the Riverside County Sheriff said.

John Felix, 26, of Palm Springs, was taken into custody after a 12-hour standoff and was to be booked of two counts of murder on a peace officer.

The shooting occurred just after noon at 2700 Cypress Road, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

Residents continued to place flowers in front of the police station after two Palm Springs officers were killed in the line of duty. Kate Larsen reports for Today in LA on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. (Published 2 hours ago)

The officers had responded to a report of a family disturbance call before the shooting occurred, an officer with the Palm Springs Police Department said.

A woman reported that her adult son was causing a disturbance. When officers arrived, the man threatened that he would shoot through the door, police said. 

As the gunfight ensued, three officers were shot, authorities said. Officers began using life-saving methods to help the injured officers. 

All three were taken to a hospital, where two of the officers — identified as Officer Jose Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny — died.

A Palm Springs neighborhood is on lockdown after a suspect shot three police officers. Kate Larsen reports for the NBC4 News at 11 on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. (Published Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016)

The third officer was recovering.  

“I am awake in a nightmare right now,” Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes said at a news conference. 

The shooter refused to surrender and barricaded himself in his home. 

As a precaution, neighbors were evacuated as others were told to stay inside and lock their doors. 

The Palm Springs Police Department and the surrounding community were in mourning after two officers were shot and another was injured. Tony Shin reports for the NBC4 News at 11 on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. (Published Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016)

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said on Twitter early Sunday morning that the suspect had been taken into custody. Felix was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Vega was a 35-year veteran of the police department. The 63-year-old was due to retire in December. He was not scheduled to work Saturday and chose to work overtime at the time of the shooting, according to Reyes. 

Vega is survived by his wife and eight children. 

Zerebny, 27, was with the department for a year and a half, Reyes said. She had just returned to work after giving birth. She was a new mom to a 4-month-old baby. 

Police were searching for a gunman who killed two police officers and injured another. Kate Larsen reports for the NBC4 News at 6 on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. (Published Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016)

Zerebny is survived by her husband and child. 

NBCLA.com’s Jessica Rice and Whitney Irick, and NBC News’ Andrew Blankstein and Scott Patterson contributed to this report. 

Published 4 hours ago | Updated 7 minutes ago