As the community grapples with the Rochester Hills splash pad shooting that injured 9 on Saturday evening, people are looking for ways they can help.
Following the mass shooting at Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office warned of phony fundraising scams on the internet.
"Some nefarious characters have created phony Go Fund Me pages, purporting to benefit victims of Saturday’s splash pad shooting in Rochester Hills," read the statement from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard called the scammers “bottom-feeding scumbags” who are trying to use the tragedy to their advantage.
A GoFundMe spokesperson released the following statement after the event: “Our hearts go out to the Rochester Hills community and to all of those affected by this senseless tragedy. At GoFundMe, being a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and those who seek to take advantage of the generosity of the community. We have removed the fundraiser from the platform, none of the funds were released to the fundraiser organizer, and all donors have been refunded. We will cooperate with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing. The GoFundMe Giving Guarantee protects donors by guaranteeing a full refund in the rare case something isn’t right.”
Since the tragedy, the sheriff’s office has verified three GoFundMe pages that are working to raise money for some of the victims.
The first is a GoFundMe set up for the Coughlin Family. According to the page, the family walked to the splash pad shortly after getting ice cream when they heard gunshots. The GoFundMe page says the parents each grabbed a child to protect them and were shot.
“Because of their heroic actions, their children were protected and able to go home that evening,” the page reads.
You can read more about the family and donate here.
The second GoFundMe verified by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is one for the Bebout Family.
According to the page, the mother and her young sons were injured in the splash pad shooting.
“As of right now everyone is stable and they will be undergoing surgeries to repair what’s been damaged,” the page reads.
You can read more about the family and donate here.
The third GoFundMe is set up for the Iafrate family. The page says the family of five was enjoying a day at the park when the gunman opened fire. The mother was shot twice as she was carrying their 7-year-old daughter.
Their twin teenager daughters were separated from their father — one of them hid behind bushes and the other took cover behind the nearby ice cream shop.
The mom had surgery and was released from the hospital. The family's home daycare business has been put on hold for now.
You can read more about the family and donate here.
As more fundraisers are verified by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, we will list them here.
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