Editor's note: The Oakland County Sheriff's Office has verified two legitimate GoFundMe pages and the city of Rochester Hills on Monday shared ways to help victims and how to get mental health help. DETAILS HERE
ROCHESTER HILLS (WWJ) — The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is out with a strongly-worded warning after a phony GoFundMe page surfaced Sunday, purported to be raising money for victims of the Rochester Hills splash pad shooting.
Sheriff Mike Bouchard on Sunday said “nefarious characters” created a GoFundMe page claiming to be run by the husband of one of the shooting victims.
Bouchard said the Sheriff’s Office “has not independently confirmed the authenticity of any charity or GoFundMe effort collecting donations to support the nine victims of Saturday’s shooting.”
“These bottom-feeding scumbags are preying off this tragedy,” Bouchard said in a press release. “They have already shown their character. We are unaware of any legitimate charity collecting donations for these families. I encourage anyone interested in donating to check with the Sheriff’s Office first. If there are legitimate sites, we will let the public know.”
The page, which had raised nearly $20,000 by 5:30 p.m. Sunday, said it was collecting funds on Kyle J. Thompson, his pregnant wife and children, claiming to be a victim of the shooting. Neither he nor his family were victims, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities have said a woman, her 8-year-old son and 4-year-old son were wounded when a 42-year-old man opened fire at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad on Auburn Road shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday.
The bogus GoFundMe page, which has since been taken down, claimed to be run by the woman’s husband, but the page made no mention of the 4-year-old. It also claimed the woman was pregnant and lost her unborn child, a detail police had made no mention of.
“The site is a complete fraud,” Bouchard said.
A GoFundMe spokesperson confirmed that the fake fundraiser has been removed, and that the donors were refunded.
“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," reads a statement provided by GoFundMe.
"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.”
A separate GoFundMe page for another family has been created and has been confirmed as "legitimate," according to the sheriff's office. Authorities said Sunday a married couple was among Saturday’s victims. The GoFundMe page explains Micayla and Eric Coughlin of Rochester Hills took their two daughters, ages 2 and 7 months, to the splash pad on Saturday.
Shortly after buying them ice cream, gunfire rang out. "In an effort to save their children, they each grabbed a child to protect them," the fundraising page said.
In total, the married couple were shot seven times, but neither child was hit, according to the page. The funds raised will help the Coughlins with unexpected medical bills.
Officials with the sheriff’s office say they will let the public know about any legitimate fundraisers for the victims. The public can follow the sheriff's office on X or Facebook for any fundraising pages they may share in the future.
It was not immediately clear if the sheriff's office has identified the person behind the bogus fundraiser page or if any charges may be sought.