Father of slain Palm Springs officer speaks out
Palm Springs police officers Jose “Gil” Vega and Lesley Zerebney were killed in the line of duty on Saturday. Zerebney is a second generation police officer. Zerebney’s father, David Kling, lives in Zerebney’s home town of Hemet, where Zerebney went to West Valley High School. Kling is retired from the California Highway Patrol. “The funny thing about here is, she is tough as nails, she is a dead shot with a rifle, even as a teenager. She could beat me in a shooting competition. And yet, underneath that, there is just a soft heart and really sensitive, and that really came out when she had the baby,” Kling said to KESQ media partner KABC. Police procession transports Officer Vega’s body to funeral home Zerebney married her husband Zack almost five years ago. He’s a Riverside County Sheriffs Deputy. At their home in Hemet, the date of their wedding is stamped into concrete. Four months ago, she gave birth to their daughter Cora, who will now have to grow up never knowing her mother. “She was an amazing daughter, it may sound like a cliche, but she was just absolutely the best child, and we are just so proud of her and loved her so much, and now she is gone,” Kling said. According to court records, the suspected shooter, 26-year-old John Felix, was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon after an initial charge of attempted murder in 2009. Prosecutors at the time accused him of being a gang member. He was sentenced to two years in prison. Kling wants to know why Felix served such a short sentence and how was he able to get a gun, since Felix is a convicted felon. “This morning, I woke up with the realization that some judge, some defense attorney and some deputy district attorney cut a deal with this guy and kept him or got him out of prison, which is where he should have been. I hope that they see the news, see his name, and that they see the loss and the pain and the horrible suffering that we are going through. They just need to think about letting that animal out of prison,” Kling said
Memorial Services for Fallen Officers Lesley Zerebny and Jose “Gil” Vega will take place on Tuesday, October 18th, at 11 a.m. The funeral will take place at the Palm Springs Convention Center, located at 277 North Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
