US: Suspect arrested in shooting death of 2 officers

NEW YORK (AA) - A suspect is in custody Sunday after two police officers were killed and a third was injured in a deadly encounter in Palm Springs, California.

The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old John Felix, according to the sheriff's statement.

Police chief Bryan Reyes told reporters that the suspect's mother made a 911 call to alert police regarding a disturbance her son was causing.

When two officers arrived at the residence, the suspect refused to allow them in and threatened to shoot the officers through the closed front door, the police chief said.

In the ensuing gunfire, three officers were injured and hospitalized. Two of them, Jose Gilbert Vega, 63, and Lesley Zerebny, 27, were pronounced dead at hospital, Reyes said. The third officer, who was not named, is recovering from non-life threatening injuries.

Vega was a 35-year veteran in the force, and Zerebny was the mother of a four-month-old baby and had just returned from maternity leave.

The Palm Springs Police Department scheduled a press conference on Sunday afternoon for more details.