4-year-old hero, family receive $27,000 raised by donations
Published: February 4, 2006
San Jose police detective Sgt. James Randol on Friday handed a San Jose family a check for more than $27,000 in donations raised for three young sisters who were trapped inside an apartment for 16 hours after their mother was killed by her boyfriend in a murder-suicide.
The money was raised in less than one week, spurred by the story of the courage of 4-year-old Andrea Barajas, who took care of her younger sisters that long night and day.
“I was very pleasantly surprised by the compassion and generosity the community has shown,” said Francisco Barajas, the girls’ grandfather and the father of the late Guadalupe Barajas. “I want to thank everyone for what they’ve done to help my granddaughters.”
The girls are doing well under the circumstances, he said.
“They’re with family. That’s what’s best,” said Barajas, who intends to place the money in a savings account for the children’s education.
On Jan. 15, Guadalupe was shot and killed by her boyfriend, Jose Martin Aguilar. Andrea hid the gun underneath some pillows so that her two sisters Lizbeth, 3, and Alexandra, 20 months, would not be hurt. Then she brought her sisters into the living room, fed them water and mints and took care of them until police freed them late the next afternoon.
“`What happened to them is what tears communities apart,” said San Jose police Sgt. Jeff Ricketts, who helped manage the donations that went through the Police Officers’ Association. “And this is the thing that brings the community together.”
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