Two officers dead, 1 wounded in California

TWO police officers were shot and killed in the Southern California desert town of Palm Springs on Saturday after they were called to a family dispute and came under fire as they arrived on the scene, according to local police.

A third officer was wounded in the early afternoon shooting, Police Chief Bryan Reyes said at a news conference. Police closed off several nearby blocks as they searched for a suspect on Saturday evening.

The officers who were killed were identified as Jose Vega, a 35-year veteran who was due to retire in December, and 27-year-old Lesley Zerebny, who had been an officer for about a year and a half and was the mother of a four-month-old baby.

Dozens of police officers swarmed the scene of the shooting, which unfolded in a residential neighborhood of Palm Springs, a normally placid resort community about 100 miles east of Los Angeles.

Police in tactical gear surrounded the home, with an armored assault vehicle stationed in front of the house with an officer perched in a turret atop the vehicle. It was possible the suspect remained in the house or had escaped the area, Reyes said.

Officers had gone to the home after a female caller said her son was causing a disturbance, Reyes said. The officers were outside trying to negotiate with the suspect when shooting began.