By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A New Orleans area nonprofit group in support of wounded law enforcement officials is holding a fundraiser Sunday evening to benefit the four St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s deputies shot on Aug. 16 and their families.

Andres “Chico” Gonzales and his Help for Heroes Inc. foundation is sponsoring the event, which will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Southport Hall, 200 Monticello Ave., Jefferson. Gonzales, who was wounded and paralyzed in the line of duty in 2006, started the foundation in 2011 to provide support and financial assistance to first responders and their families in their hour of need.

Tickets for the fundraiser are $25, which gets guests into a car and motorcycle show. The event will also feature food, music, raffles and a silent auction.

All proceeds benefit the families of St. John deputies Brandon Nielsen, Jeremy Triche, Michael Scott Boyington and Jason Triche. Nielsen and Jeremy Triche were killed Aug. 16 in an attack at a LaPlace trailer home. Boyington and Jason Triche were critically injured during the incident. Authorities have arrested seven suspects in the case.

According to the Hope for Heroes website, the foundation was created to make a positive difference for the families of wounded first responders by creating a fund that can be accessed in case of injury, illness or death. The foundation also works to educate the public of the problems and dangers faced by first responders on

daily basis.

Gonzales, 31, was seriously injured during an incident on May 22, 2006, when he and his partner stopped a car in Algiers Point with illegally tinted black windows. A passenger bailed from the car and shot Gonzalez several times during an ensuing foot chase. One of the bullets severed Gonzalez’s spinal cord. The injury left him confined to a wheelchair. A jury convicted the shooter, Eddie Harrison III, of attempted murder.

For more information about the fundraiser, call 504-338-7523, or email Gonzales at andres@help4heroes.

org.