John Felix, Alleged Palm Springs Cop Killer, Had High-Capacity Magazines, Was Wearing Soft Body Armor

PALM SPRINGS, CA — More than 12 hours after officers Jose "Gil" Vega and Lesley Zerebny responded to what they thought was a routine domestic disturbance call and paid the ultimate price, their alleged killer was captured, police say. John Hernandez Felix, 26, who authorities say was wearing soft body armor and had several high-capacity magazines on him, is now facing multiple charges.

It all started around noon at a home in a quiet Palm Springs neighborhood about two miles away from the city's international airport. As four officers approached the front door where a family disturbance had been reported, police say they were met with gunfire through the closed entrance. Three officers were shot, two of them fatally.

"Additional officers responded and administered life-saving measures to the injured officers and attempted to apprehend the suspect," the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. "The suspect refused to surrender and exchanged gunfire with officers as he barricaded himself in his residence."

SWAT teams surrounded the home and cordoned off several blocks of the neighborhood. For hours, area residents were warned to stay indoors or avoid coming home as heavily armed officers guarded the streets in the blazing sun.

As night fell with the suspect holed up inside the home, a memorial grew outside the Palm Springs police station. One neighbor told Patch the family at the home were "nice people" and couldn't believe what was unfolding nearby.

Meanwhile, police attempted to coax Felix out of the house using a loud speaker, the Desert Sun reported. At a press conference on Sunday, officials provided more details on what led to Felix's capture. Deputy Sheriff Ray Wood of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department told reporters the SWAT team arrived on scene shortly after 5 p.m. The standoff that ensued went on for hours, and when authorities were not able to pinpoint his location in the home and were unable to communicate with him, they deployed "chemical agents." Felix immediately walked out the back door and was in custody a short while after. Wood said Felix was wearing soft body armor and a number of high-capacity magazines.

"After a lengthy standoff, the suspect surrendered peacefully to Riverside County Sheriff's Department SWAT members and was taken into custody," the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a press release issued earlier in the day.

Officials declined to comment on Felix's past criminal history and whether he has any gang ties. The Desert Sun reported he was previously sentenced to four years in prison in an attempted gangland assassination.

Felix had suffered "non life-threatening" injuries at some point and was taken to a hospital, sheriff's officials said. Following medical treatment, he was expected to be booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside on murder charges.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin said he expects to file charges Tuesday, with Monday being a public holiday. Felix is expected to be charged with two counts of first-degree murder and at least two special circumstances charges. He will be arraigned on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Hestrin said Felix will be eligible for the death penalty, however whether prosecutors will decide to seek the death penalty has not yet been determined. Asked by a reporter if it was likely, Hestrin said he considers the brutal murder of a police officer to be a very heinous crime. "So I will leave it at that," he said.

As for the slain officers, one was a 35-year veteran of the department due to retire in December. Officer Jose "Gil" Vega, 63, was married and had eight children. He was scheduled to be off Saturday but picked up an overtime shift. Also slain was Lesley Zerebny, 27, who recently returned to duty from maternity leave. She has a 4-month-old baby girl and was on the force for one and a half years. She's married to a Riverside County sheriff's deputy.

As their bodies were transported from the hospital to coroner's office late Saturday night, emergency personnel gathered along the freeway overpasses with lights on to pay their respects to the fallen.

“Officers Vega and Zerebny were killed today doing what they do every day – protecting their community," Gov. Jerry Brown said Saturday. "We grieve with the family members, friends and fellow officers coping with this senseless tragedy. Anne and I join all Californians in offering our heartfelt condolences.”

A third unidentified officer remained hospitalized, but he is alert and cooperating with the investigation, Reyes said. The officer is expected to be released from the hospital within the next few hours, Reyes said.

Asked how the families of the victims were holding up, Reyes paused, looking down in grief, before he said that was a tough question.

"Everyone has their moments," he said. "Some are strong one second and they are broken the next."

The two police officers were at two extreme ends of a spectrum in their careers. Vega, a polished member of the force and Zerebny, still new to the job who has just given birth and decided to return early from maternity leave.

"To see her laying down with her eyes open and to witness her husband in full Riverside County Sheriff's uniform, because he's a Riverside County deputy, and kiss her on the forehead for the last time, it's tough," Reyes said, unable to push back tears.

Reyes vowed to provide full support to the affected families. He urged the community to show its support for law enforcement and to thank the officers assigned to the their neighborhood as a liaison.

A vigil is scheduled at the Palm Springs police headquarters for 5 p.m. Sunday. Reyes said he is confident that the turnout at the vigil will be large, proving that there is no place like Palm Springs.

"Our community will get us through this," he said.

SEE ALSO:

Palm Springs Officers Shot: 2 Officers Killed, 3rd Wounded Responding to Domestic Disturbance; Suspect in Custody

— Patch photos by Renee Schiavone

Booking photo of John Felix via Riverside County Sheriff's Office