MOJAVE, Calif. (KERO) — A mass shooting in Mojave took the lives of four people on Sun, April 30. The family of one of the victims held a fundraiser in her honor one week later on Sun, May 7.
The event was nothing short of family supporting each other through tough times. Following the deaths of four local Mojave residents, family members of victim Martina Barraza have created a drive-through car wash to help with funeral expenses.
“You see it everywhere, all over the news, people passing away and you can only imagine how those families feel," explained Annya Morelli, the eldest daughter of Barraza. "Now we can feel and it hurts. It hurts.”
Morelli said that her mother always wanted to be on television, but never like this. Tragedy struck the family following the shooting that left four people dead, including Barraza.
According to Morelli, all the family wants now is to bring peace to their family and lay her mother to rest.
“We just want to get as much help as we can so that we’re able to do that,” she said.
Morelli said that the idea for the car wash came from her family when they were thinking of ways to raise money. Their efforts have paid off so far, with many residents coming into the car wash and the line heading into the street.
Aside from the car wash, sweets like cookies and cheesecake were also sold as another form to raise money. Morelli says that she is grateful not only to her family members but also to the public for coming out in support of her mother.
“She is watching down on us right now and she’s happy and she’s smiling," said Morelli. "She sees that everybody’s helping her and that’s all I want for my mom. Just for her to be happy, you know?”
The family says that they are heartbroken but are happy knowing that the car wash will allow them to be able to put Barraza to rest.
