John Felix, suspected cop killer (Photo: Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)
The suspect in the killing of two Palm Springs police officers and wounded another was wearing body armor and equipped with high capacity magazines when he was taken into custody, authorities said.
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SWAT officers made several attempts over the course of a 12-hour standoff to make contact with suspect John Felix, 26, who was holed up in his family’s residence, authorities said at a Sunday morning news conference. But there was no response.
Remote-controlled robots were eventually used to pinpoint the suspect’s location in the house, and chemical agents were then deployed into the residence, authorities said.
“Almost immediately … the suspect emerged out the back door,” said Riverside County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ray Wood. “When he emerged, he was wearing soft body armor and he had a number of high-capacity magazines on his person.”
The officers killed were identified as Officer Jose “Gil” Vega, a 35-year veteran of the department who was due to retire in December, and Officer Lesley Zerebny, who had been with the department 1 ½ years and was the mother of a 4-month-old girl.