Mother grieves after murder-suicide in Winterhaven

WINTERHAVEN, Calif. (KYMA) - Monica Vargas is the mother who lost her two sons in a murder-suicide shares how she feels after their deaths.

"We need to get guns out of the streets," expressed Monica Vargas, who is the mother of both Jonathan and Matthew Vargas.

Jonathan is accused of shooting Matthew and later taking his own life. Since then, Monica is advocating for stricter gun laws in the states.

She says Jonathan had problems with mental health in the past and was under the influence of alcohol when it happened.

"In the flash of a moment, he argued with my son and went to the car, and loaded up the gun, and shot my other son, so I didn’t lose one life, I lost two," said Monica.

The grieving mother also has a message of mental health awareness for everyone.

"See the signs, respond. Don't just judge the person, don't just judge the youth or the young adults...they have it hard already. They're trying to find a purpose in their life," Monica says.

However, she is thankful for all the support she has received from the community.

"My fellow classmates in NAU, with the all the support I've received, the churches, I appreciate all of your prayers, I think I couldn’t handle this without their prayers and my faith," Monica said.

There will be a community car wash fundraiser for the brothers this Sunday at the Torch Lite Lodge on Fourth Avenue at 10:30 a.m.

If you would like to help out the family, you can make a donation here.