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Vero Beach restaurant hosts fundraiser for daughter of fallen sergeant

Rowdy Rooster Bar & Restaurant donates proceeds to Haylee's college fund as residents rally to support family after recent tragedy

WPTV's Cassandra Garcia

By: Cassandra Garcia

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VERO BEACH, Fla. — A local restaurant in Vero Beach opened its doors Saturday to support Haylee, the daughter of Sergeant Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, who was just over a week ago. The community gathered to raise funds for her future and honor her mother.

Nicole McDevitt, owner of Rowdy Rooster Bar and Restaurant, said, "What we're doing for her future is our way of giving and I know this is what her mother would want.”

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Vero Beach restaurant hosts fundraiser for daughter of fallen sergeant

The restaurant announced that all proceeds from Saturday’s brunch would go to Haylee’s College and Future Dreams Fund. The initiative drew about 200 attendees.

“I think it’s important that after this tragedy that we as a community come together to support the Sheriff’s family,” said Vero resident Natalie Barth.

Linda Price, another resident, added, “Vero is a very unique place in that no matter what’s going on, everybody comes together to kind of help out as much as they can.”

The fundraiser comes just over a week after Indian River County Sergeant Sweeting-Mashkow and two others were shot during an eviction at the Bermuda Club neighborhood.

For McDevitt, the tragedy is personal as her daughter is Haylee’s best friend.

“It’s truly heartbreaking. I mean, this is—I can use my platform and my restaurant to help her, so this is what I’m doing to help her,” McDevitt said.

Attendees left messages of love and remembrance on a poster board to honor Sergeant Sweeting-Mashkow.

Leslie Brown, a Vero resident, said, “I just hope she always, always remembers her mom and the impact that her mom made on this community.”

While the loss cannot be erased, community members hope small acts of support will help Haylee in the days ahead.

Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalist to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.

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