‘Bottom-Feeding Scumbags’ Are Trying to Profit From Rochester Hills Shooting
The Oakland County Sheriff's Department is warning the public to be careful when trying to help out families affected by the recent shooting at a splash pad in Rochester Hills.
In a release, the sheriff's office called those trying to profit from the tragedy "bottom feeders" and stressed that they will investigate any fraud. The sheriff's office is also making sure to share links to GoFundMe campaigns that they have verified as being legitimate.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard also stated in the release that they are aware of at least one false campaign that is collecting funds on behalf of Kyle J. Thompson, his pregnant wife, and his children - claiming that the family members were victims of the shooting. In reality, neither he nor his family were victims of the attack.
GoFundMe Responds to Fake Fundraisers
GoFundMe has removed the false fundraiser and released a statement,
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.
A representative from GoFundMe told Townsquare Media that the fundraiser was returned and all of the donors were refunded.
They say that they have a zero-tolerance policy for the misuse of their platform. They are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigations of those accused of wrongdoing.
Legitimate GoFundMes for Victims of the Rochester Hills Splash Pad Shooting
"Help Support the Bebout Family" - This fundraiser (which has raised over $100,000 at the time of the writing of this article) was started by Tiffany Holcomb, a family member of the Bebout family. She says her nephews and her mother were all directly involved and are in critical condition.
"Help the Coughlin Family Recover" - This fundraiser (which has raised $97,500 as of the writing of this article) was started by Noel Wakula, a close friend of Micayla Coughlin. The fundraiser is to help Micayla and Eric Coughlin who were shot seven times while shielding their two-year-old and seven-month-old from the gunfire.
If you'd like to make a donation to help the victims and their families, as well as community resources to help them through the healing process, you can also donate directly to the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester.
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