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Latest: Slain Northern California officers honoured at vigil

Riverside Country Sheriffs Deputies walk along a street in Palm Springs, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. Palm Springs police officers trying to resolve a family dispute were shot to death Saturday when a man they had been speaking calmly with suddenly pulled out a gun and opened fire on them, the city's police chief told reporters. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Peña)
Original Publication Date October 09, 2016 - 6:55 AM

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - The Latest on the shooting of three police officers in Palm Springs (all times local):

9 p.m.

A parade of mourners created a makeshift memorial for two slain Southern California police officers during an emotional vigil held outside the Palm Springs Police Department.

The mourners laid bouquets, written messages and candles outside police headquarters Sunday night, honouring and remembering officers Jose "Gil" Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny, local media reported. The two were shot dead Saturday responding to a domestic disturbance call and a third officer wounded.

Police arrested 26-year-old John Felix after a lengthy standoff. He will be charged Tuesday with murder and could face the death penalty.

Palm Springs is 100 miles east of Los Angeles.

12:05 p.m.

Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes says the officer wounded in a shooting that killed two other officers is alert and talking with investigators.

Reyes said at a press conference that the male officer, who was not named, is likely to be released from the hospital Sunday.

The officer was wounded during a domestic disturbance call Saturday when a man suddenly pulled out a gun and opened fire at a home in the desert city east of Los Angeles.

Officers Jose "Gil" Gilbert Vega, a 35-year police veteran, and Lesley Zerebny, who'd been on the force less than two years, were killed.

Police arrested 26-year-old John Felix after a lengthy standoff. He will be charged Tuesday with murder and could face the death penalty.

11:55 a.m.

Authorities say the man suspected of fatally shooting two police officers in Palm Springs, California, emerged wearing soft body armour after police shot a chemical agent into the home where he was holed up for hours.

Chief Deputy Ray Wood of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department says John Felix was not carrying a gun but had several magazines of ammunition on his body when he exited through the back door early Sunday.

Wood says the 26-year-old was not co-operative and police shot him with non-lethal rounds before his arrest.

Prosecutors say Felix will be charged Tuesday with multiple counts including murder.

Two police officers responding to a family disturbance call were killed Saturday and a third was wounded but is expected to survive.

8:35 a.m.

Court records show the man suspected of fatally shooting two police officers and wounding another in Palm Springs, California, is a gang member who was previously sentenced to four years in prison in a failed murder plot.

The Desert Sun newspaper (http://desert.sn/2dCyJV8) cites documents that show 26-year-old John Felix was also the subject of a forceful arrest three years ago at the same house where Saturday's shootings occurred.

Felix was charged with attempted murder in a 2009 shooting. Records show Felix pleaded down to assault with a firearm and admitted his gang connection.

A neighbour, Frances Serrano, tells The Associated Press she spoke to Felix's father before Saturday's shooting, and he said his son had a gun and wanted to shoot police officers.

Felix was arrested early Sunday after a lengthy standoff.

___

6:50 a.m.

Authorities have identified the man suspected of fatally shooting two officers and wounding another in Palm Springs, California, and say he will be charged with two counts of murder on a peace officer.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department identified the man Sunday as John Felix.

Officials say he surrendered after a lengthy standoff. He was injured and treated at a hospital.

Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes identified the officers slain Saturday as Jose "Gil" Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny.

Twenty-seven-year-old Zerebny had been with the department for about 18 months and recently returned from maternity leave after giving birth to a daughter. Vega was a 35-year veteran who planned to retire in December.

The wounded officer's name was not released.

News from © The Associated Press, 2016
The Associated Press

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