The grieving family of a 13-year-old Pasadena boy killed by a stray bullet spent their Saturday grilling for the community. Anoushah Rasta reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2021.
The grieving family of a 13-year-old Pasadena boy killed by a stray stray bullet spent their Saturday grilling for the community, to raise money for his funeral and other expenses.
That community came through with an overwhelming show of support, with dozens of people standing in line to donate. A colorful memorial to 13-year-old Iran Moreno, filled with candles, flowers and rosaries, welcomed those visitors to the family's home.
"It makes us really happy, actually, to know that there are people out there who want to help and support even if they don’t know the family," said Maria Balvaneda, Iran's cousin.
Pasadena police say Iran was at home, playing video games in his bedroom last Saturday, when he was shot.
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According to his cousin, video games were one of his favorite hobbies.
"He loved playing video games, he loved sports, basketball, soccer," Balvaneda said. "He was very friendly, very outgoing, very kind kid."
The family has already raised over $12,000 through online donations.
Some of that money will go towards helping the family move out of the neighborhood.
"I think it’s just them not wanting to be around everything that happened," Balvaneda said. "I guess it’s trauma."
The pain of Iran's loss is so overwhelming for his parents that they couldn't attend the fundraiser, she added. But they are thankful to the community for honoring a little boy they will always remember as kind and sensitive.
“He would notice that somebody wasn’t doing so well, and he would figure it out to make you smile or to giggle," Balvaneda said.
Pasadena police are offering a $10,000 reward for any information that will help find the killer.
