Memorial fund established to cover Andy Lopez burial costs

A trust fund has been established to help cover burial and related costs of a 13-year-old Santa Rosa boy who was fatally shot by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy last month.

Contributions to the Andy Lopez Memorial Fund can be made at any Exchange Bank branch, or by mail, bank personnel said.

Proceeds are to cover costs incurred by Lopez's family in the wake of an Oct. 22 encounter on Moorland Avenue, in which a deputy who reportedly mistook the teen's BB gun for an assault rifle shot and killed him.

Santa Rosa police, who are investigating the shooting, said Lopez's back was turned when he was ordered to put the weapon down. In the seconds before he was killed, police say, the teen instead began to turn toward the deputy, causing the BB gun barrel to rise and prompting the deputy to fire his sidearm.

Lopez's death has caused community-wide grief, anger and protests.

Anyone interested in contributing to the Andy Lopez Memorial Fund can do so at any Exchange Bank branch, or via mail to the Stony Point Branch where the fund was set up. That address is Exchange Bank, 499 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Checks may be made payable to Andy Lopez Memorial Fund.