2 Palm Springs Police Officers Killed In Line Of Duty Honored

Palm Desert CA

08 October, 2021

12:52 PM

Description

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A mural will be unveiled in downtown Palm Springs Friday to honor police officers Jose "Gil" Vega and Lesley Zerebny, who died in the line of duty on this date five years ago. The unveiling event will be held at 169 North Indian Canyon Drive at 5 p.m. to commemorate the shooting that lead to their deaths, said the Palm Springs Police Department. The police department posted a statement on social media, saying that five years ago, "Jose `Gil' Vega and Lesley Zerebny were killed in the line of duty while serving the city of Palm Springs," and that they "left their loved ones, like any other work day, not knowing what lay ahead. They also left a void in the hearts of their families, our department and the city they served. "Today, our duty is to honor them, remember them, and to never forget the tragic sacrifices made 5 years ago," the post said. John Hernandez Felix, 30, opened fire on the officers with an AR-15 rifle on Oct. 8, 2016, while they were responding to a domestic disturbance call at the Felix family home in the 2700 block of Cypress Avenue in Palm Springs. Felix, who was positioned inside the residence, shot the officers while they were standing outside the home. He was convicted and sentenced to death last year and is housed at San Quentin State Prison. Vega, 63, was a veteran cop who was killed just months before he was set to retire after three decades of service. Zerebny, 27, had been with the department for 18 months and had just returned to duty following maternity leave, having given birth to a daughter, Cora, four months earlier. Vega and Zerebny were the first Palm Springs police officers killed in the line of duty since Jan. 1, 1962, when Officer Lyle Wayne Larrabee died during a vehicle pursuit. The only other death in the department was that of Officer Gale Gene Eldridge, who was fatally shot on Jan. 18, 1961, while investigating an armed robbery. Though Felix was sentenced to death, it's unlikely he will be executed anytime soon — Gov. Gavin Newsom's moratorium on capital punishment remains in effect, and prior to that, California had not executed a prisoner since 2006.