Community honors fallen hometown hero

A community continues to mourn the loss of Palm Springs fallen police officer, Lesley Zerebny. A vigil was held in Zerebny’s hometown, Hemet. Family, friends and loved ones gathered. “The shock of that phone call, that she had been shot, its basically changed our world forever,” said David Kling, Zerebny’s father. Zerebny was described her as a firework, “like a roman candle, that illuminates, maybe scares you a bit, but the time that she burned was just too short,” said Kling. A life taken too quickly, 27-years-old with a four month old baby. Britta Boyer, Zerebny’s sister, remembered Zerebny’s final days. “Seeing her with her baby and her husband was I think the happiest I’ve ever seen her,” said Boyer. And her passion as a police officer was undeniable. “She tried for years to be a police officer and when she got the Palm Springs PD, seeing her get her badge pinned on was unbelievable,” continued Boyer. Palm Spring’s Chief Bryan Reyes said she was an extremely well prepared officer and loved her job. “She was meant to be a police officer, and you can’t go back and wish something differently, because she was truly happy,” said Boyer.