Donations are pouring into fundraisers set up to support victims of the Michigan State University mass shooting on Monday.
As of Wednesday morning, the online fundraising site GoFundMe had verified the authenticity of two fundraisers. GoFundMe officials said they plan to continue to update the list of verified fundraisers tied to the MSU shooting as they confirm their authenticity.
“The MSU community is in our thoughts and we are here to help in whatever way we can in the coming hours, days and weeks,” said GoFundMe spokesperson Ese Esan.
Police say Lansing resident Anthony McRae opened fire in MSU’s Berkey Hall and then the MSU Union on Monday night, killing three and injuring five others before fleeing campus and eventually fatally shooting himself.
McRae killed MSU students from suburban Detroit: Junior Arielle Diamond Anderson, a 19-year-old graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School who had planned to become a pediatrician and spent her free time on photography and creating YouTube content; sophomore Brian Fraser, 20, also of Grosse Pointe, president of the MSU chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity known for his work ethic and loyalty to friends; and junior Alexandria Verner, 20, of Clawson a star high school athlete and “perfect kid” who continued to excel academically MSU.
Police said McRae had no connection to MSU. Police say he had a history of mental health; court records indicate he had multiple run-ins with police over guns and driving offenses.
Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez
One fundraiser directs money toward injured hospitality business major Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, a student who was shot by McRae and remains hospitalized. As of Wednesday morning, the fund had raised more than $206,000.
A message attached to the fundraiser for Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, written by her sister, Selena Huapilla-Perez, does not detail Guadalupe’s injuries but notes that the hospitality business major will need months of medical care and rehabilitation.
“She is a long way from returning to us as she was,” Selena Huapilla-Perez wrote.
The daughter of migrant workers, Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez is “a leader in her community and beyond,” according to her sister’s message.
The student is part of the MSU College Assistance Migrant Program, which helps migrant and seasonal farmworker students through their first year of college, and according to her sister’s message.
“Lupe is incredibly hard-working, focused, and ambitious, choosing a career path that’s never been explored in our family. It allows her to travel, learn, and challenge herself. She’s always one to stand up for our community and speak out for those marginalized voices like our own.”
Her family traveled from Florida to Michigan to be with Huapilla-Perez after learning she had been injured, straining their finances and leaving them unable to work.
Aimee Barajas
Another fundraiser supports Aimee Barajas, the police dispatcher who helped direct the law enforcement response as 911 calls came in.
An Eaton Rapids resident organized the fundraiser for Barajas after being impressed by her calm demeanor during the crisis.
“I was in absolute awe at her composure during one of the most tragic incidents in Michigan’s history,” wrote the organizer, who called himself David L. “I have seen the recent Tiktok trend where everyone is donating $1 to random people and no one is more deserving than this young woman.”
As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser had raised $2,000.
We’ll update this post as more information becomes available.