PALM SPRINGS, California — After a police officer in California was killed in the line of duty — his colleagues did something extraordinarily touching for his eight-year-old daughter Vanessa.
They showed up on Monday morning to take her to school.
“Vanessa no longer has her daddy,” Sergeant William Hutchinson told CNN, “We want to make sure she has a support system growing up.”
Officer Jose “Gil” Vega, 63, had been an officer at the Palm Springs Police department for 35 years. He was killed alongside officer Lesley Zerebny, 27, earlier this month.
It was important to the police department Vanessa felt loved.
After tossing around several ideas from barbecues to fundraisers, it was decided.
“Let’s get a bunch of cops together and take her to school,” Hutchinson said.
And that they did.
Vanessa marched into school with a blue bag on her back — and an army of blue at her heels.
“It went from a somber to a very touching moment,” Hutchinson said.
At a memorial held for her father last week, a very composed Vanessa spoke: “Don’t worry, we have each other,” she said, “We won’t leave each other.”
It’s clear — they won’t.
