Police Officer Jose “Gil” Vega was a 34-year veteran of the Palm Springs Police Department, serving from February 15, 1982 until October 8, 2016. Vega, along with his previous trainee Lesley Zerebny, was shot and killed while responding to a 911 domestic dispute call.

Gil was widely respected within both the department and his community. He was known to be calm, cool and collected. He loved his wife Susana and his daughter Vanessa, and he loved being a Palm Springs Police Officer.

He could have retired years earlier, but he chose to keep doing what he loved. Even at 63 years old, Gil served as a Field Training Officer. “He trained just about every person in the department,” a fellow officer recalled.