‘Everything she did was out of kindness,’ friend says at vigil for LA Sheriff’s detective killed Sunday
‘Everything she did was out of kindness,’ friend says at vigil for LA Sheriff’s detective killed Sunday
by Eric Licas
Colleagues and friends of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detective who died while performing an act of kindness honored her memory and service at a vigil in Valley Village on Tuesday evening, Jan. 14.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore offers words of kindness to Detective Leist's mother. @ladailynews pic.twitter.com/iqx73GOq48
— Eric Anthony Licas (@EricLicas) January 15, 2020
More than 100 people gathered at the corner Whitsett Avenue and Riverside Drive, where a growing collection of candles and flowers had been left in memory of Detective Amber Leist. The 12-year veteran of the department was fatally struck by a car there Sunday shortly after coming to the aid of a woman who had fallen in the street.
“Everything she did was out of kindness,” Leist’s childhood friend, Jeryn Blakley, 40, said through tears.
She said Leist was “exuberant, confident, joyful, and had a keen sense of wit.” The two were neighbors as children in Lancaster, where Leist began her career in law enforcement.
The Sheriff’s Department posted on social media photos and video of Leist from her career including situations where she was helping people and mentoring children.
More than two dozen deputies from the Sheriff’s Department’s West Hollywood station, where Leist worked, attended the vigil. Some wept and shared hugs with residents who came to pay their respects.
Also attending were Leist’s mother, Ellen Leist; father Daniel Leist; and her sister, Sumry Lemmenes.
Relatives said they were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support shown by the community. Their support is evidence of the impact Leist had on those around her, Sumry Lemmenes said.
The vigil was organized by Cicla Valley, a mobility advocacy group that monitors fatal traffic collisions in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles and surrounding communities. Part of Whitsett Avenue was closed for the event.
A woman sits deep in thought in front of a makeshift memorial in honor of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Amber Leist. She was fatally struck by a vehicle here at Whitsett and Riverside after helping a woman who had stumbled in the intersection on Sunday. @ladailynews pic.twitter.com/ltzug9mtmM
— Eric Anthony Licas (@EricLicas) January 15, 2020
All credit goes to Eric Licas Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com
