Alleged Cop Killer To Be Arraigned On Murder Charges

INDIO (CBSLA.com) — A 26-year-old man accused of killing two Palm Springs police officers is scheduled to be arraigned on murder charges Thursday.

According to the district attorney's office, John Hernandez Felix faces two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder and single counts of unlawful possession of an assault rifle, being a convicted felon in possession of a gun and being in possession of stolen property, with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The two murder counts include special circumstance allegations of murder of a law enforcement officer, lying in wait and taking multiple lives in the same crime.

If convicted as charged, Felix could face the death penalty.

The district attorney will make a decision on whether to seek capital punishment within the next three weeks.

At this time, Felix remains jailed without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

The arraignment will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Larson Justice Center.

Felix is accused of using an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to fatally shoot veteran training Sgt. Jose Gilbert Vega, 63, and rookie Officer Lesley Zerebny, 27, Saturday afternoon.

He also allegedly wounded a third officer, who has since been released from the hospital, and fired rounds towards two others.

Final respects will be paid to Vega and Zerebny at a public memorial service Tuesday at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Donations to officers' families can be made online.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)