News

Actions

Hundreds of thousands raised for Florida shooting victims in hours

Posted

(RNN) - A national GoFundMe campaign for victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has reached 70 percent its goal after just four hours.

The campaign, created by the Broward Education Fund, raised $250,000 towards a $350,000 goal by Thursday afternoon. Donations flooded in from around the country, most between $10-$100.

The education fund said in the posting that 100 percent of funds, after payment processing charges, would go directly to victims and their families.

“Donations raised here will be used to provide relief and financial support to the victims and families of the horrific shooting,” it read.

On Wednesday Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, said the state would cover funeral expenses for victims and pay for counseling.

There are six known victims so far, three of them students. Jaime Guttenberg, Nicholas Dworet and Alyssa Alhadef were the students killed, along with teacher Scott Beigel, school athletic director Chris Hixon and an assistant football coach, Aaron Feis.

Feis was called “one of the greatest people I knew, a phenomenal man,” by Broward County Sheriff Scot Israel in a briefing on Thursday. He reportedly died shielding students.

Beigel, a geography teacher, was credited with saving the lives of students as well. “I am alive because of him,” Kelsey Friend, a student, told Good Morning America on Thursday.

A colleague at a nearby school called Hixon "probably the nicest guy I have ever met.”

“He would give you the shirt off his back. He doe so much,” said Dan Jacob, the athletic director at Coral Springs High School.

Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.