SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Community members showed their generosity Sunday at a fundraiser for slain Escondido police officer Laura Perez.
Officer Laura's police academy classmates and current recruits held a car wash to raise money for her family.
Whether they knew her for a short time or not at all, dozens of past and present police recruits, along with their family and friends spent Sunday along Grand Avenue in Escondido washing cars to raise money for officer Laura's family, who are mourning her death all while raising the 4-year-old daughter she left behind.
"We have an expectation that when you come to work everyday there's a risk but you don't expect something to happen when you're not at work," Juliette Barnes said.
Laura, who had been with the Escondido Police Department for less than a year, died July 24 after her husband allegedly shot her inside their Murrieta home.
Juliette Barnes worked with Laura and trained her at the Palomar College Police Academy where she was known as a shining star.
"We have a practice session and she was having trouble getting over the wall, so she went home, built a wall and practiced it until she can get it down so that kinda dedication is what stood out," Barnes said.
Laura's former academy classmates, including Emmanuel Boyd have similar memories of the 25-year-old saying she always strived to be the best.
Boyd said, "She just held a higher standard...she was just an awesome person."
Which is why he and so many others volunteered to be here Sunday. Though it's the community's support which, they say, has been overwhelming.
Even before this fundraiser got underway, cars were already waiting in line.
One driver said, "I'm trying to be a cop myself...I understand I have a daughter too myself so I'm supporting the cause."
And while five dollars was the suggested donation per wash, some drivers gave hundreds more.
"We're out here washing cars, but people are donating for more the that and they know why we're out here, so I think people have been very generous," Barnes said.