Neighbor shines new light on deadly Palm Springs officer shooting

Frances Serrano lived across the street from the residence where suspected shooter 26-year-old John Felix. Felix is suspected to shooting and killing Officer Jose Gilbert Vega and Officer Lesley Zerebny and wounding another Palm Springs police officer last Saturday. The officers were responding to a domestic disturbance call that day.

Serrano said the parents of Felix reached out to her before the shooting for help when they said their son was “acting crazy”. She said she called adult protective services who directed her to call 9-1-1 when it was known that Felix had a gun. Serrano said the parents told her Felix was looking to shoot officers.

“He’s waiting…he’s waiting for the police officers and he’s going to start shooting them,” she said.

Serrano didn’t get a chance to call when a barrage of gunfire rang out. She said she didn’t see the actual shooting but took over in her home when she heard the gunshots.

She said she knew Felix as he grew up in the neighborhood and found him to be respectful towards her.

“Every time he will see me, he will say hi,” Serrano said. “He will even say…how’s it going? He’s very polite to me.”

After the shooting took place, she said she wished there could have been a conversation with Felix.

“I wish I could have talked to him,” she said. “I could have talked to him because he kind of respected me….so I really don’t know what took place. Why he did it. I really don’t know.”

A man who was identified by a next-door neighbor as Felix’s father was seen working on the house and boarding up windows and the garage. When KESQ News Channel 3’s and CBS Local 2’s Jeremy Chen approached him, he declined to make any comments saying he would do so another time.