Dozens of police rushed to the scene 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. It was possible the suspect remained in the house or had escaped the area, Reyes said.
Local media later showed robots being deployed in the area.
Officers went 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.
“It was a simple family disturbance, and he elected to open fire on a few of the guardians of this city,” Reyes said.
The wounded officer was alert and “doing well,” Reyes added.
A neighbor, Juan Graciano, 67, said he heard angry shouting between a father and son who live at the residence before the father emerged from the home, crossed the street and asked another neighbor to call for help.
Graciano said the other neighbor apparently called police, who came under fire as they arrived at the home, and that some police returned fire. He said he saw one female officer who appeared to be wounded lying on the ground as fellow officers tried to resuscitate her.
Governor Edmund Brown said in a statement that the slain officers died “doing what they do every day – protecting their community. We grieve with the family members, friends and fellow officers coping with this senseless tragedy.”
Source: Reuters
