Two US police officers were killed and one injured Saturday after a shooting in Palm Springs, according to the southern California city´s police union.
"Two officers dead, one injured in Palm Springs shooting; manhunt ongoing," the Palm Springs Police Officers Association said on Twitter.An "active scene" was unfolding in Palm Springs near the intersection of North Sunrise Way and East Racquet Club Road, according to police.Two California police officers were shot dead on Saturday while responding to a family disturbance in the town of Palm Springs, and a third injured as police tried to bring a suspect into custody, officials said.
Following a prolonged hunt for the suspect overnight on Saturday, the county sheriff’s department said on Twitter early on Sunday morning that the suspect had been taken into custody.
The Palm Springs police chief, Brian Reyes, had told reporters at a press conference Saturday afternoon that officials had set up a “containment area” for several blocks around the house where the shooting took place.
Reyes named the dead officers as Jose Vega and Lesley Zerebny.
Several Swat teams were involved in the search for the suspect, who police said could be outside a perimeter of armored cars, police cruisers and dozens of officers. Residents had been told to evacuate and to not answer their doors.
“I’m awake in a nightmare right now,” Reyes said. “That’s me, but as the chief of police I’ve got to step forward and stay focused. We will do what we need to do.”
He added: “It was a simple family disturbance and [the suspect] elected to open fire on a few of the guardians of the city.”
Reyes said the three were standing near the front door speaking with the man, “trying to negotiate with the suspect”, when he suddenly shot them.
Zerebny, 27, had been with the department for about 18 months and only recently returned from maternity leave after giving birth to a now four-month-old daughter. Vega, the father of eight, was a 35-year veteran who planned to retire in December. He had been working overtime on his day off Saturday. The wounded officer’s name was not released.
Earlier on Saturday, Sergeant William Hutchinson told reporters police were called because of “some kind of family disturbance”. He said that though there was no active shootings situation, “we are actively looking for a suspect at this time”.
“Do not answer your doors for anybody,” he warned.In a statement, the police did not say what condition the surviving officer was in. The three were shot near the Sunrise Racquet Club on Sunrise Way. Photographs and videos posted on social media showed dozens of officers around a single home, where it was thought the suspect may have built a barricade.
A spokesman for the police department did not immediately return a phone call or email requesting details.
Witnesses told the local Desert Sun that they heard 10 to 20 gun shots before 2pm local time.
“It sounded like fireworks at first,” neighbor Juan Garciano told the paper. “I came out of the house and saw police start to block the roads.”
A law enforcement source speaking on condition of anonymity told the Los Angeles Times that one of the officers was in critical condition.
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