Today marks 9 years since PSPD officers Vega and Zerebny were killed in the line of duty
Jesus Reyes
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – 9 years ago on this day, Palm Springs police officers Jose “Gil” Vega and Lesley Zerebny were killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call.
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Vega, 63, was a veteran cop who was killed just months before he was set to retire after 35 years of service, five years past his retirement eligibility. He had planned to retire in 2018. Vega had eight children, 11 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
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.
In 2021, a mural of Vega and Zerebny was unveiled to the public. The mural is located at 169 N. Indian Canyon Drive.
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.
John Hernandez Felix, the man who shot and killed officers Vega and Zerebny, was convicted for their murders and sentenced to death. It is unlikely Vega will be executed anytime soon because of a state moratorium on capital punishment that remains in effect.
Additionally, even before the moratorium, California has not executed a prisoner since 2006.