Community fundraiser held for Le Grand father of 3 kids who were killed

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Sunday afternoon, the Le Grand High School boys soccer team held a car wash to raise money for one of their coaches, Israel Ortiz.

Ortiz is the father of three children who were killed last week. Their mother, Patricia Ortiz, is accused of killing them before attempting to take her own life.

Patricia Ortiz remains in the hospital. Once released, she's expected to be booked into the Merced County Jail on three counts of murder.

"We feel for him and we just want to help him out as much as we can. That's our community - we help out people and we're one big family," said Romero Lopez, one of Le Grand High School's soccer players.

That's why the team organized a car wash. All proceeds from Sunday's fundraiser will go to Israel Ortiz for funeral and related expenses.

Both the boys and girls soccer teams and other athletes helped with the car wash.

"The community is helping to support us and we're honored to be part of a community where everybody knows each other and everybody comes together to help us out," said Daniel Callejas, one of the team's coaches.

Family members have also set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses for the children, you can access it here.