CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — Dozens of community members gathered at a fundraiser to support the family of Fernando Torres Moreno, the 12-year-old who drowned after being chased into a lake by unleashed dogs on June 18.
The fundraiser was held at the Farmers Market, where city council members donated food. California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins said the community is rallying behind the family during this difficult time.
"We're trying to do what we can to help the family bring the community together and also raise some money for the family," Hawkins said.
"We're trying to make the best of a very tragic situation today. And we've got the community coming out. We got hamburgers and hot dogs at the farmer's market here. We've even got some breakfast burritos," Hawkins said.
Shaquille Avery attended the fundraiser with his son and said it was important to him to show up for the family.
"I have kids myself, and if a tragedy happened, you know, you kind of need people, so I felt like my support would help in a small way, 'cause I know there's a lot of people, but, you know, my little part could help some way," Avery said.
Torres Moreno's mother and sister were at the fundraiser but did not want to speak on camera. They did want to thank the community for their support.
The suspect in the incident is expected to appear in court Monday.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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