Mateo Herrera was an 11-year-old boy from San Ysidro, California, killed on July 18, 1984, during the San Ysidro McDonald’s shooting. He and his mother, Blythe Regan Herrera, were among the 21 people who died when a gunman opened fire inside the restaurant. Mateo and his family had been returning from a camping trip in Ensenada, Mexico, and stopped at the McDonald’s after crossing the border.

Mateo’s father, Ronald Herrera, was critically wounded while trying to shield Mateo and a friend, Keith Thomas, from the gunfire; Keith was also injured but survived. The shooter, later identified as James Huberty, was killed by a member of the responding SWAT team at the scene.

The massacre prompted lawsuits by victims’ families against McDonald’s and others, and raised broader questions about security, gun violence, and mental health. If anyone knew Mateo or his family, or remembers that day at the San Ysidro McDonald’s, please share information or memories.