Among the fundraisers that have cropped up in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at a Michigan church last weekend, one aims to raise money not for the victims but, instead, for family members of the accused shooter.
The organizer, David Butler, says he is not a member of the Grand Blanc Township ward of the Chuch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but is an “ordinary member” of the LDS church. Butler wrote that 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, who police have identified as the shooter, is leaving “behind a wife and children who must be grieving,” and that “one of the Sanford sons deals with serious medical challenges that require ongoing care, treatment, and specialized support.”
The deadly church attack in Grand Blanc, Michigan killed four people and left at least eight others injured. Sanford drove his pickup truck through the front doors of the church, exited his vehicle and opened fire with an assault-style rifle at around 100 churchgoers, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said. Officials say he then set the church building on fire.
Sanford also died following an exchange of fire with police, Renye said. Based on conversations with the FBI director, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday the attacker was “an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith.”
Despite that, Butler described Sanford’s family as victims of the attack as well, saying the Biblical book of James “teaches us that ‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.’ The purpose of this GiveSendGo is to do that.”
The fundraiser, hosted by GiveSendGo, had raised $285,000 as of early Thursday afternoon against a stated goal of $500,000. The comments left by those donating money indicate many are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“We have been taught to be peacemakers and pray that your family is blessed and watched over during this difficult time,” one anonymous donor wrote. “May you feel the love of the Savior surrounding you always. You are beloved children of God.”
The Detroit Free Press reports that the shooter’s family was initially wary of the fundraiser, thinking it might even be someone impersonating the family, but eventually came around.
“It took my breath away, that this church is so forgiving and understanding and caring,” Sanford’s sister Katie Hamilton told the paper.
There are also several fundraisers aiming to help the families of those whose lives were taken or those who suffered injuries in the attack. GoFundMe has launched a verified hub to organize its fundraisers in that vein.
Kierra Frazier
contributed to this report.
