Brawley barbers help family of murder victim
B outpour
RAWLEY — A combination of love, support and financial donations continues to from the community here following the death of a 24-year-old Brawley resident killed in a shooting nearly two weeks ago.
While friends and family of Daniel Hernandez Jr. have already organized charity car wash and softball events for funeral costs, an owner of a local barbershop also wanted to help in any way he could.
On Saturday, Alex Guzman, owner of King of Fadez Barbershop on North Plaza Street, opened his business in support of the cause.
He and four other barbers cut from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and donated all the proceeds to Hernandez’s family.
“It’s a big loss when you lose a child, so we came up with this idea,” Guzman said. “It was our way of giving back to the family.”
With a little more than 70 customers showing up throughout the day, the turnout for the fundraiser was better than expected for Guzman.
“People came in, and they showed love,” Guzman said. “Usually when something like this goes down, people tend to come and support.”
While an exact amount wasn’t specified, an estimated $1,120 was raised, as the shop charges an average of $16 per haircut.
After their 10-hour fundraising session, the King of Fadez staff presented the funds raised to Hernandez’s family.
“They (the family) were really grateful,” Guzman said. “We got a couple pictures together, which I thought was cool.”
Hernandez was one of the two victims involved in a shooting incident May 30 in Brawley. The 24-year-old sustained fatal injuries, while the other victim survived and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The prime suspect believed to be responsible for the shooting was captured earlier this month by law enforcement.
Saturday’s fundraiser came about after Omar Guzman, a barber at the shop and a close friend of Hernandez, approached Alex with the idea.
“My response was to convince the other barbers,” Alex said. “I told him, ‘You don’t convince me, because I’m always open to help out.’”
More of the love and support that made the fundraiser a success is exactly what the community needs at this time, Omar said.
“You got to put yourself in the family’s shoes,” Omar said. “It all comes down to that, and you’ve got to think about his young kids. It’s all about helping our community, so I thought, what better way to help a family out in need?”
Omar, who has been a barber at King of Fadez for three years, recalled nothing but great memories with his late friend.
“I had known him for a while, he was a cool friend,” Guzman said of Hernandez. “We used to play softball together and stuff like that. He was all-around a cool guy.”
A barber participating in the fundraiser, Leonardo Castillo, was also a good friend of Hernandez.
“I went to school with him,” Castillo said. “We’re the same age and everything. He was a good person, very respectful and always tried to help others out.”
Castillo owns his own barbershop, Fine Line Barber Lounge in Brawley, yet jumped at the chance to temporarily man a chair at King of Fadez once he heard of the fundraiser.
“The way things happened was really messed up,” Castillo said. “I don’t think that anybody should have to go through that. I’ve pretty much knew him all my life, and I just wanted to help out for the family.”