Rio Communities firefighters are mourning the loss of a beloved member murdered, along with four other family members, over the weekend.
“She always would make us laugh. Even on a really rough call. She always had a smile on her face,” Fire Chief Andrew Tabet said of Adriana Bencomo, a volunteer since 2007.
She was one of four family members shot and killed in their home by a 16-year-old who reportedly called 9-1-1 and admitted to killing his parents and two siblings, according to KRQE.
Diego Leyva, 16, is charged with four counts of murder.
“My memory with her is we would go to calls and she always made sure to pay attention to the kids. She dedicated herself to her community. She dedicated herself to the families that lived in the community. The families that she’ll never meet again. People she’ll never see again on the worst day to make it better," the chief said.
While she loved volunteering, she was a mother first. “They were very eager to learn. Very sweet and they loved being at the firehouse. They loved being on the fire truck. They loved that their mother was a firefighter here,” Tabet said about Bencomo’s children.
Belen businesses like the Varelas Restaurant are trying to help cover funeral costs through fundraising.
Bencomo's fellow firefighters are grateful for an outpouring of support.
Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp explained: “We brought in additional staffing to help cover Rio communities to ensure that their people had time to decompress and start grieving for their fallen colleague."
