LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) — The number of deaths of police officers in the United States was 102 to date in 2016, according to the latest data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

The data showed that the number of the police officers shot and killed so far this year is up more than 40 percent from last year.

The deaths included two police officers who were killed Saturday in Palm Springs, 170 km east to Los Angeles.

Californian authorities early Sunday arrested the suspect gunman, John Felix, a 26-year-old resident of Palm Springs, who had a history of violence in police records. He also wounded a third police officer.

Palm Springs police said this incident started with a 911 call, where a woman said her son was causing a domestic disturbance.

When the police officers arrived, "Felix refused to open the front door and threatened to shoot the officers," according to CNN, within 10 minutes, "Felix opened fire through the closed front door."

Comments from an article on Los Angeles Times about the Palm Spring shooting pointed to the National Rifle Association, which advocates gun rights and also "supports the right of even criminals to own, possess and use weapons anytime."

Only three days ago, a Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant was shot and killed in Lancaster while responding to a residential burglary call. The suspect is an African American.

On July 17, three law enforcement officers were killed in Baton Rough, Louisiana.

On the same day, five police officers in Dallas, Texas, were ambushed and killed at the end of a peaceful protest organized by Black Lives Matter, an activist movement against violence and racism toward black people.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that 715 people had been shot and killed by police so far in 2016.

"Overall, the majority of the people who have been shot and killed by police officers in 2015 and 2016 were armed with a weapon and attempting to attack the officer or someone else," the report said.