- Heartbreaking image of Calif. mom who had her limbs amputated after eating bad tilapia emerges as GoFundMe campaign raises over $110K New York Post
- Public health officials dispel claims that San Jose woman caught a flesh-eating bacterial infection leading to quadruple amputation The Mercury News
- Bay Area woman has limbs amputated after bacterial infection possibly linked to fish The Santa Rosa Press Democrat
- Health officials unsure what caused Bay Area mom’s quadruple amputation KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
- Woman loses limbs after eating infected tilapia Fish Farmer Magazine
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: GoFundMe
Heartbreaking image of Calif. mom who had her limbs amputated after eating bad tilapia emerges as GoFundMe campaign raises over $110K – New York Post
- Heartbreaking image of Calif. mom who had her limbs amputated after eating bad tilapia emerges as GoFundMe campaign raises over $110K New York Post
- Public health officials dispel claims that San Jose woman caught a flesh-eating bacterial infection leading to quadruple amputation The Mercury News
- San Jose woman has limbs amputated after bacterial infection possibly linked to tilapia The Santa Rosa Press Democrat
- Health officials unsure what caused Bay Area mom’s quadruple amputation KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
- Did a Bay Area woman lose her limbs to flesh-eating bacteria? San Francisco Chronicle
Tyre Nichols latest news: Donald Trump speaks out on ‘horrible’ killing as family GoFundMe passes $1m
Protesters march in Memphis after video released of Tyre Nichols being beaten by police
Donald Trump has described the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols as “horrible” and says that it “never should have happened.”
The former president’s comments came one day after the city of Memphis publicly released video footage of the attack earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the five former police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols will be arraigned in mid-February. Court records show they are scheduled to appear for a “bond arraignment” on February 17, Fox News reported on Sunday.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith have all since been fired from their positions, and the specialised Scorpion unit to which they belonged has been disbanded.
Their arraignment hearing will be presided over by Shelby County criminal court Judge James Jones.
The news came as Ben Crump, attorney for the Nichols family, called for federal reform to stop the cycle of police killings of Black men.
“Without federal police reform, I think we’re gonna continue to see these hashtags proliferate so much … that we can’t keep up with them,” he told ABC’s ‘This Week’.
Memphis police shut down the “Scorpion” unit involved in the fatal arrest of Mr Nichols, following the release of the video showing him being beaten by officers.
Bodycam footage of the deadly arrest of Mr Nichols was released on Friday evening, one day after five police officers were charged with his murder.
The grainy footage captures a violent confrontation between police and Nichols, where officers can be seen using fists, batons, and stun guns against him, then laughing and bragging about the arrest.
“Watch out, I’m going to baton the f*** out of you,” one officer can be heard saying on the tape.
The shocking footage inspired widespread protests across Memphis and beyond.
Nichols died three days after his arrest. An independent autopsy released by his family shows he suffered “extensive bleeding” before his death.
On Thursday, officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were all charged with second-degree murder.
How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols
A 29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.
Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts and jailed on second-degree murder charges.
Gustaf Kilander reports on how we got here.
Graeme Massie30 January 2023 03:07
Tyre Nichols: Memphis police shut down ‘Scorpion’ unit day after fatal beating video released to public
MPD announced specialist team involved in arrest would be ‘permanently deactivated.’
Graeme Massie30 January 2023 02:12
Killing of Tyre Nichols prompts renewed calls for police reform
Video of the fatal beating of the 29-year-old by police officers was released by the city of Memphis on Friday night.
Graeme Massie30 January 2023 01:06
Tyre Nichols: ‘Elite’ police units in spotlight after brutal killing by Scorpion officers
Memphis Police Department has now disbanded ‘Scorpion’ unit after release of beating video.
Graeme Massie30 January 2023 00:01
ICYMI: What has president Biden said about the Tyre Nichols video?
President Joe Biden called a video revealing the beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers “horrific” and said it was a “painful reminder” of the fear Black and Brown Americans face regularly, while calling for peaceful demonstrations.
“Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death,” the president said in a statement. “It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.”
Memphis police released the video on Friday evening of five former officers from the department beating Nichols, who died three days later. The chief of police had warned that the video showed a violation of “basic human rights.”
Eric Garcia reports from Washington.
Graeme Massie29 January 2023 22:34
Tyre Nichols: Family attorney Ben Crump calls for federal reform to stop police killings
Five former Memphis police officers face murder charges over the death of the 29-year-old.
Graeme Massie29 January 2023 22:04
Protests continue in Memphis
A group of demonstrators protest outside a police precinct in response to the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, in Memphis, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023
(AP)
A group of demonstrators protest outside a police precinct in response to the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, in Memphis, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023
(AP)
Graeme Massie29 January 2023 21:28
Tyre Nichols: Arraignment date set for officers charged in fatal beating
City of Memphis released the video of the violent arrest that saw the police department fire five officers.
Graeme Massie29 January 2023 19:31
Arraignment date set for Memphis police officers
The five police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols will be arraigned in mid-February.
Court records show they are scheduled to appear for a “bond arraignment” on February 17, Fox News reported.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith have all since been fired from their positions, and the specialised Scorpion unit to which they belonged has been disbanded.
Their arraignment hearing will be presided over by Shelby County criminal court Judge James Jones.
Richard Hall29 January 2023 15:57
Nichols family attorney Ben Crump calls for federal reform to stop police killings
Ben Crump, attorney for the family of Tyre Nichols, said Sunday that federal reform is needed to stop the cycle of police killings of Black men.
“Without federal police reform, I think we’re gonna continue to see these hashtags proliferate so much … that we can’t keep up with them,” he told ABC’s ‘This Week’.
Mr Crump called on the Biden administration to put the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act back on the table, and usher its passage through Congress.
Richard Hall29 January 2023 15:04
NJ woman Katelyn McClure sentenced to 3 years for role in $400k GoFundMe scam
A New Jersey woman was sentenced to three years in state prison on Friday for her role in a $400,000 GoFundMe scam in which she and her then-boyfriend lied about helping a homeless veteran in Philadelphia.
Katelyn McClure, 32, was not present at her sentencing in Burlington County as she is already serving her one-year federal term in the case in a Connecticut prison, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Her state sentence will run concurrently and the former New Jersey Department of Transportation worker will be permanently barred from ever working as a public employee in the state.
In 2017, McClure and her then-boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after they invented a heartwarming but bogus story claiming that a homeless vet, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., had just spent his last $20 to help McClure fill up her gas tank while she was stranded on I-95 in Philadelphia.
The pair launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Paying it Forward,” which donors believed was to get Bobbitt off the streets and into a home.
The story quickly gained traction as McClure and D’Amico did interviews with local and national media outlets. In less than one month, they had defrauded more than 14,000 donors out of $400,000.
The funds were transferred from GoFundMe to the couple’s personal accounts. The two blew most of the money over the next three months on personal expenses.
The couple told Bobbitt about the fake tale they’d spun and the money — which he had previously been unaware of. In December 2017, officials say D’Amico opened a bank account for Bobbitt and the two deposited $25,000 into the account.
D’Amico, 43, pleaded guilty in December 2019 and was sentenced to five years in state prison, a term also running concurrently with an earlier federal term. He and McClure have both been ordered to fully reimburse GoFundMe.
Bobbitt was sentenced to probationary federal and state terms.
With Post Wires
Damar Hamlin’s GoFundMe hits $5 million after Bills safety’s cardiac arrest on ‘Monday Night Football’
If there’s hope to be taken from the terrifying situation around Damar Hamlin, it comes straight from the Buffalo Bills safety’s two-year-old GoFundMe.
Two days after Hamlin’s collapse and hospitalization caused the suspension of a “Monday Night Football” game, his only available public fundraiser has reached a total of $7 million. The original goal of the GoFundMe, set up to fund a toy drive in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pa., was $2,500.
Over 220,000 people have donated to the cause.
Hamlin’s representatives updated the GoFundMe page Wednesday, saying they were “awestruck” at the “support and generosity” shown over the past two days. They vowed to continue to update the fundraiser and said they were “hopeful about Damar’s future involvement.”
We’re simply awestruck by the level of support and generosity we’ve seen over the past two days. With over $6 million raised, this fundraiser has become an overnight reminder of the incredible nature of humankind. Your actions directly reflect the type of human Damar is himself.
As representatives of Damar, the team at Jaster Athletes posted the fundraiser updates and will work with the Hamlin family, The Chasing M’s Foundation, and the GoFundMe team to ensure the safe delivery of funds.
Because the situation is evolving, we’ll continue to communicate any updates on the fundraiser. We will also work with GoFundMe to email all donors with more specifics regarding the use of funds as those details are available. As you can imagine, this has been a challenging time for the family. We appreciate your understanding as we give them the time and space they need to focus on Damar’s health first.
We’re hopeful about Damar’s future involvement in disbursing the incredibly generous contributions. We thank you again for your support and look forward to updating you along the way.
Hamlin showed “signs of improvement” Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, the Bills announced.
The GoFundMe was also updated Tuesday, acknowledging the circumstances and thanking all the donors for their support. The update stated the new money would go to “Damar’s community initiatives and his current fight”:
This fundraiser was initially established to support a toy drive for Damar’s community, sponsored by the Chasing M’s Foundation.
However, it has received renewed support in light of Damar’s current battle and we can’t thank all of you enough. Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.
If you would like to show your support and contribute to Damar’s community initiatives and his current fight, this is the place to do so. This is the only current fund that is being used by the Hamlin Family.
Again, thank you for your thoughts, prayers and generous support during this time.
Damar created The Chasing M’s Foundation to use as a vehicle to bring lasting impact to his community. The foundation supports toy drives, back-to-school drives, kids camps, and more.
One of the biggest donations, at $3,000, was under the name of New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton and his wife Jordan, who received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from Bills fans in 2018 when Andy’s Cincinnati Bengals helped clinch a playoff berth for Buffalo.
Other names on the top donation list are Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay with $25,003, Patriots owner Robert Kraft with an $18,003 donation, Tom Brady with $10,000, Russell Wilson and Ciara with $10,000 and Matthew Stafford with $12,000, plus names like Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, Andrew Whitworth, Erin Andrews, Brian Hoyer, Chris Jericho, Ahmad Gardner, Sean McVay, Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Shannon Sharpe, Mac Jones, Drake London, Michael Phelps and George Kittle.
Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after on-field cardiac arrest
As of Tuesday, Hamlin was hospitalized in Cincinnati after going into cardiac arrest in the first quarter of the Bill’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The 24-year-old took a hit to the chest in a collision with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, then collapsed after initially getting up.
The haunting scene saw players from both teams massed around Hamlin as he received CPR, as people across the sports world expressed shock and support for an athlete only two years out of college. The game was temporarily suspended after Hamlin was taken off the field via ambulance, then indefinitely postponed.
The NFL later announced the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week, with no change to the Week 18 schedule.
The Bills announced Tuesday morning saying Hamlin remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after his heartbeat was restored on the field, while the player’s family released a statement thanking fans for their support, as well as first responders and hospital personnel.
Hamlin, a sixth-round pick out of Pittsburgh in the 2021 NFL draft, ascended to starting status this year after a season-ending injury to All-Pro Micah Hyde. In 15 games with 13 starts, he posted 91 total tackles, six tackles for loss, two passes defended and 1.5 sacks.
Damar Hamlin wanted to raise $2,500 to get kids toys for Christmas. After his cardiac arrest on the field, his fans donated millions.
In the weeks leading up to his sudden collapse during a game in Cincinnati on Monday night, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was focused on raising money to give children from his hometown toys for Christmas. Within hours of Hamlin suffering cardiac arrest and going into critical condition, his fans donated millions to the campaign.
The fundraiser was created on GoFundMe on Dec. 14 to “positively impact children who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.” Donations made to the campaign are to help with the purchasing of toys for those children, according to the site, and toys were distributed on Dec. 22 to a day care center.
He set a goal to raise $2,500 for the initiative. It’s unclear to CBS News just how much money had been raised prior to the toy distribution, but according to CBS Pittsburgh, more than $600,000 was raised by 10:30 p.m. on Monday.
GoFundMe has verified the fundraiser, tweeting that he wanted “to help kids have a magical Christmas.”
“Following his injury on the field tonight, fans across the country are showing their support for him and his family by donating to his fundraiser,” the company said.
As of Tuesday evening, it’s raised more than $5 million, with many people donating thousands over the past few hours. Several people have made single donations between $1,000 and $5,500.
Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images
The flood of donations came shortly after the 24-year-old Pennsylvania native collapsed during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals. During the first quarter of the game, Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. When Hamlin got up, he appeared to take a couple of steps before suddenly collapsing onto the field, where medical professionals treated him for about 10 minutes before putting him into an ambulance. The game was postponed soon thereafter.
Hours later, the Bills put out a statement on Twitter saying Hamlin had suffered cardiac arrest.
“His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment,” the team said. “He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
An update on the fundraiser page that was added on Tuesday thanked supporters for donating to Hamlin’s initiative. It also said that the GoFundMe is “the only current fund” being used by Hamlin’s family.
“This fundraiser was initially established to support a toy drive for Damar’s community, sponsored by the Chasing M’s Foundation,” the update says. “However, it has received renewed support in light of Damar’s current battle and we can’t thank all of you enough. Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.”
Teen battling deadly, brain-eating amoeba, ‘fighting his little heart out’
A 13-year-old boy has been hospitalized after contracting Naegleria fowleri — a deadly brain-eating amoeba — after swimming in Florida.
Caleb Ziegelbauer caught the life-threatening infection while swimming at Port Charlotte Beach on July 1, according to a GoFundMe page.
Five days later, he complained of a headache that was then followed by a fever and disorientation.
He was rushed to a hospital where he was diagnosed with meningitis and placed in PICU, according to the page. Doctors later confirmed the amoeba was causing his illness.
“A lot of times people don’t get to the hospital quickly enough. We’re hoping that we did,” Caleb’s aunt, Katie Chiet, told NBC2.
“He’s just the kindest soul but he’s so strong. He’s so strong. Like the fighting on the outside, that’s what we’re doing,” another aunt, Elizabeth Ziegelbauer, told the NBC station. “He is fighting his little heart out on the inside.”
Chiet said Caleb was showing symptoms for a couple of days before the family realized it could be the water he was swimming in that caused the amoeba.
“He started to receive the CDC protocol to treat the amoeba on July 10,” Chiet wrote in the GoFundMe post.
“He required a brief period of sedation and intubation but has been breathing on his own for almost a full week now!” the update continued. “His MRI scan from 7/20 continues to show damage in his brain left by the amoeba but we remain hopeful that he’ll turn the corner soon and make his way back to us.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Naegleria fowleri is a rare disease that is almost always fatal, with only four out of 154 people in the US having survived the infection from 1962 to 2021.
It causes a rare and almost always fatal infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
People can become infected when water containing the amoeba enters the nose and migrates to the brain. Symptoms generally start one to nine days after exposure and many people die within 18 days of showing symptoms, according to the CDC.
Earlier this month, an Iowa freshwater beach was shut down when a Missouri woman who swam there became infected with the amoeba.
GoFundMe for Indiana man who saved 5 from burning home raises $500K
The GoFundMe for an Indiana pizza delivery man who saved four children and their 18-year-old sister from a burning home last week has raised nearly a half-million dollars as of Wednesday morning.
Nick Bostic’s cousin, Richard, created a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for the heroic pizza delivery driver’s recovery after he suffered cuts, burns and blisters on his legs and arm. The page has raised $453,509 as of early Wednesday.
“This kid is the real deal,” Richard wrote on the page. “Sadly, he has some serious injuries and will need help during his recovery.”
Bostic, who delivers pizza around Lafayette, suffered the injuries around 12:30 a.m. on July 11. While he was able to lead the teen and three of the children out of the burning home, Bostic ran back into the flames and fought heavy smoke to search for a 6-year-old child who was still inside. He eventually found her and carried her out through a window.
His injuries required treatment for several days at a hospital.
Bostic appeared Monday on “America’s Newsroom” and recounted what happened after he spotted the flames and ran inside.
“Before I was halfway into the door, I started hollering if there was anybody in there,” Bostic said.
Bostic said he started to think the house was empty until four people heard him and ran to him. He then led them outside and asked if anyone was left.
“They said there’s a 6-year-old left in there. So, I went back inside,” he said.
Bostic described searching for the child without success and how smoke began to fill the home.
“It scared me a lot,” he said. “But then I started hearing Kaylani’s cry.”
Bostic said he grabbed the child in his arms and was able to bust through an upstairs window and carry her to safety.
Following the rescue, Bostic has said that God used him as an instrument that night.
Fox News’ Amy Nelson contributed to this report.
GoFundMe removes phony Amber Heard-Johnny Depp fundraiser
You can’t fool GoFundMe — at least when it comes to Amber Heard and Johnny Depp.
It abruptly pulled the plug on a fake $1 million campaign created by someone named Kimberly Moore allegedly to raise money for Heard to pay Depp’s damages after their sensational six-week defamation trial, TMZ reported Saturday.
After the verdict, the fundraiser was set up to help Heard. Moore claimed to have made contact with Heard’s legal team and vowed Heard would have direct access to any money raised.
The page’s description read, “I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser. The judgment exceeds her net worth. It’s so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can please help her.”
But a rep for GoFundMe says they were able to flag the profile quickly — before much money was donated after determining that Amber’s team hadn’t created the page. It was then shut down.
Heard can’t pay the $10.4 million she owes Depp, her lawyer said last week after the end of the trial. Sources told The Post the actress is “broke” due to hefty legal fees associated with the trial.
GoFundMe Shuts Down $1 Million Amber Heard Fundraiser Set Up To Help Pay Johnny Depp
GoFundMe has shut down a fundraiser claiming to raise money to help Amber Heard pay Johnny Depp some of the money she owes him following their defamation trial.
A jury in Fairfax, Virginia, determined this week Depp should receive more than $10 million (£8m) in damages after Heard wrote an op-ed in which she described herself as a victim of abuse.
Heard herself was awarded $2m (£1.6m) in damages for comments made by Depp’s former lawyer, meaning in total she owes her ex-husband $8.35m (£6.68m). In the wake of the result, a fundraiser titled ‘Justice for Amber Heard’ was established on GoFundMe.
With a goal of $1m (£800,000), the GoFundMe page claimed to want to ‘help’ Heard and said the Aquaman actor would have ‘direct access’ to the money raised by supporters.
The page’s description explained: “I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser. The judgment exceeds her net worth. It’s so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can please help her. She will have direct access to the money. I also contacted her attorney so they can loop her in.”
It’s unclear exactly how long the fundraiser was live for, but it was shut down after GoFundMe determined neither Heard nor anyone on her team had created the page.
A spokesperson for the fundraising site told TMZ they were able to flag the profile before a substantial amount of money was raised. The platform also plans to continue to look for fake pages and act accordingly.
The lawyer alleged Heard had been ‘demonised’ throughout the trial, and claimed: “A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused.”
Bredehoft confirmed Heard’s plans to appeal the jury’s decision, saying the actor has ‘excellent grounds’ on which to do so.
Heard herself has made clear she is disappointed with the verdict, saying in a statement following the result that it indicated a set back in the idea ‘that violence against women should be taken seriously’.
“I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seemed to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly,” she added.