A total of nine children, including a 4-month-old girl, lost a parent Saturday when two California police officers were gunned down while responding to a call about a domestic disturbance.
Rookie Palm Springs police Officer Lesley Zerebny had come back early from maternity leave "to help out," Palm Springs police Chief Bryan Reyes told the Desert Sun. Zerebny, 27, and her 63-year-old colleague, Officer Jose Gilbert "Gil" Vega, were shot and killed as they approached the door of the home they were called to. A third officer was injured, but survived.
The officers were all shot through the door of the home, the newspaper reported.
Zerebny had been with the department for 18 months. Vega, a father of eight, was slated to retire in December after 35 years with the agency. He was working Saturday after volunteering for overtime, Reyes said.
The suspected gunman, 26-year-old John Hernandez Felix, was taken into custody following a 12-hour standoff with authorities. The Los Angeles Times reported that Felix, an alleged gang member, was wearing soft body armor and was equipped with multiple high-capacity magazines when he surrendered.
He has been charged with two counts of murder of a police officer and one count of attempted murder of a police officer, Palm Springs jail records show. He is being held without bond.
Felix has a history of violence, the Times said. He was convicted in 2009 of assault with a deadly weapon, bargained down from a charge of attempted murder. The Desert Sun reported that the case stemmed from an attempted gangland slaying in which the victim was shot, but survived.
Three years ago, he was charged with resisting arrest during a skirmish in the same neighborhood in which Saturday's fatal shooting took place. His status as a convicted felon in the 2009 case meant he was not legally allowed to possess a firearm, the newspaper reported.
Vega’s brother spoke of the longtime officer’s dedication Sunday at a candlelight vigil outside the Palm Springs Police Department.
"He was a really dedicated police officer," the brother, also named Jose Vega, said. "He loved his job, he loved his fellow officers."
Reyes choked back tears as he talked about watching Zerebny’s husband say goodbye to his wife.
"To see her laying down with her eyes open and to witness her husband in full Riverside County sheriff's uniform, because he's a deputy sheriff, kiss her on the forehead for the last time -- it's tough. We're going to rely on all of you to help us through this," the police chief said.
The pair of officers were the third and fourth killed in the line of duty in the Palm Springs Police Department’s history. The previous two line-of-duty deaths occurred in 1961 and 1962, the Desert Sun reported.
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