Raleigh shooting: How you can help support victims and families
Following a mass shooting in Raleigh on Oct. 13, efforts have been organized to support the families of the victims.
Five GoFundMe pages have been set up by the family, friends and supporters of four of the victims shot just after 5 p.m. after a 15-year-old suspect opened fire in the Hedingham neighborhood of northeast Raleigh.
Seven people were shot during the incident, five of them fatally — Mary Marshall, Nicole Connors, Susan Karnatz, James Thompson and Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres.
The two survivors are Senior Raleigh Police office Casey Joseph Clark and Marcille Gardner. Clark was treated for injuries he sustained during the shooting at a local hospital and later released. As of Monday, Gardner remained in the hospital.
Here are ways to help. This list will be updated as we learn more.
Nicole Connors
Tracey Howard, Connors’ husband, organized a GoFundMe for funeral expenses for Connors and her dog, Sammy, who was also killed in the shooting.
“Words can’t explain how much I miss them both,” Howard wrote. The two had been married for five years and Howard was out at the store when his wife and dog, Sammy, were killed on the porch of their home.
With a goal of $7,500, the fundraiser has received $20,135 in donations, as of Tuesday afternoon. The fundraiser is at gofundme.com/f/nicole-connors-and-sammy.
Mary Marshall
Two GoFundMe pages were created for Mary Marshall by her sister and fiancé.
Marshall was a graduate of Wake Technical Community College and owned a terrier mix dog named Scruff. She was also a U.S. Navy veteran and was going to get married later this month, according to Robert Steele, her fiancé.
Steele organized a fundraiser to help with the cost of a memorial and funeral for Marshall at gofundme.com/f/83x2h6-mary-marshall.
Her sister, Meaghan McCrickard, also has a GoFundMe to aid in the cost of the memorial, which can be found at gofundme.com/f/ew3tf-mary-marshall.
The celebration of her Marshall’s life is planned for Oct. 29, the day of what would have been her wedding, according to McCrickard’s GoFundMe.
Gabriel Torres
Torres, 29, had been a Raleigh police officer for 18 months when he was killed. He was on his way to work when he was shot and leaves behind his wife and 2-year-old daughter. Torres was also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
Back the Blue North Carolina, an organization that supports law enforcement officers in the state, organized a GoFundMe for Torres’ family and so far has generated $43,195. The fundraiser’s description says that “100% of the proceeds collected will be delivered directly to the surviving family.”
The fundraiser can be found at gofundme.com/f/benefit-for-family-of-Officer-Torres.
The Raleigh Police Department announced Saturday that it has created a memorial for Torres outside of the district’s downtown Raleigh office at 218 W. Cabarrus St.
The department also announced that it has established an email for those wishing to offer support to the Torres family and the department during this time. Anyone who wishes to offer support may email SupportRPD@raleighnc.gov.
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Marcille Lynn Gardner
A GoFundMe page was created to help Gardner, who goes by Lynn, with medical bills and her recovery. According to the page, organized by Mary Kathryn Kurth, Gardner was visiting a friend in the Hedingham neighborhood when she was shot.
On Oct. 15, Kurth said Gardner had a long surgery and has another surgery ahead.
“To know Lynn is to love her,” the page reads. “She is a special and unique person in her positivity and generosity. Let’s return that generosity and help take care of Lynn as she fights to overcome this tragedy.”
On Monday afternoon, $26,533 in donations had been raised for Gardner, who turned 60 years old on Saturday. The fundraiser can be found at gofundme.com/f/lynn-gardner-victim-of-gun-violence.
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 1:55 PM.