Taco truck organizes fundraiser for Greenwood Park Mall shooting victims

INDIANAPOLIS — A taco truck owner is donating all of Wednesday night's profits to the families of the Greenwood Park Mall shooting.

Maria Rubio owns Tacos El Iturbidense, a food truck on West 10th Street. When she heard about the shooting, she wanted to help.

"There were a lot of Hispanic people who were killed. To tell you the truth, I was going to go shopping there that day to buy school clothes for my son. I heard about what happened and I was left in shock about everything," she said.

So she and her husband decided to donate all of the day's profits to the grieving families.

"Everything that will be sold today will be distributed. We will personally give it to the families of the three victims," she said. "I want to help with the family’s expenses, the funeral costs, and anything else that will come with that. A little bit of sand can go a long way."

She wasn't the only one eager to help. People flocked to the truck, jumping at the chance to donate. Many, came specifically for the fundraiser.

"I don't need a reason to get some tacos, but being able to support the cause at the same time is, of course, a great thing," Alex Weaver said.

For Deidra Wetter and her mother, Kari, the shooting was too close for comfort. But they said coming together can help.

"We go to Greenwood Park Mall fairly regularly, and it was really sad what happened there, and we wanted to support them, and it's really nice that there's something we can do right here in our community," Kari Wetter said.

"It kind of helps takes your mind off it in a good way because everyone's coming together for a good cause, and you're getting good food in the process, so that's a bonus," Deidra Wetter said.

For Rubio, the tragedy struck especially close to home. The three victims, Pedro Pineda, Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, and Victor Gomez were all Latino.

According to the 2020 Census, the Latino population is the fastest-growing ethnic group in Indianapolis.

In 1990, Latinos made up about 1% of the population. By 2022, there were more than 116,000 Latinos living in the city, comprising about 13% of the population.

"The reason why it interested us so much to help was because we wanted to help the Latino community. We found out that the three of them were Latino. We saw the news, and I’ve seen how their families are suffering. So in a way, I wanted to help, so their pain wasn’t so much, and help with their funeral expenses or anything else they might need," Rubio said.