Slain Palm Springs Police Officer Honored At Diamond Valley Lake

HEMET, CA — Officer Lesley Zerebny will not be forgotten. During an emotional ceremony Friday, the "Officer Lesley Zerebny First Responders Memorial Wall" was dedicated at Diamond Valley Lake Community Park in Hemet. The ceremony included comments from Zerebny’s father and sister.

More than 200 people attended the event, including a number of first responders.

Zerebny, who grew up in the Hemet area, was an officer with the Palm Springs Police Department when she was killed in the line of duty October 8, 2016, while responding to a domestic violence call. She was 26. Her partner, Jose “Gil” Vega, also was killed.

The Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District Board of Directors commissioned the memorial wall to commemorate all first responders who lost their lives in the line of duty who were born, lived or served within the district’s boundaries, which include Aguanga, French Valley, Hemet, Menifee, San Jacinto and Winchester.

Zerebny participated in Valley-Wide events growing up and worked as a receptionist for the district before becoming a police officer.

Zerebny’s father, David Kling, and sister, Britta Kling, both expressed thanks to the district for constructing the wall in their hometown.

“This wall and all of you being here gives us reassurance that she will never be forgotten,” David Kling said.

Zerebny’s mother, Luanne, was in attendance, as was the fallen officer's husband, Zack, and their young daughter, Cora.

Also speaking at the event was Riverside County Assistant District Attorney Michael Cabral and Valley-Wide Board President Jan Bissell, who relayed stories about how he and his wife taught Zerebny in Sunday school when she was a girl.

The event included a joint honor guard from the Hemet and Palm Springs Police Departments, a bugler from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and a flyover by the Sheriff’s Aviation unit.