PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) – Two 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.
A third officer was wounded. The shooter was not immediately apprehended.
“It was a simple family disturbance and he elected to open fire on the guardians of the city,” police Chief Bryan Reyes, his voice breaking, told reporters.
The chief, near tears, identified the slain officers as Jose “Gil” Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny. He did not disclose their ranks or other information and did not reveal the wounded officer’s name.
He said the shooter was not apprehended and may still be in the house where the officers were killed.