David Butler, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is raising money for the family of a man who allegedly attacked a Michigan chapel.
When a gunman attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan on Sunday, killing four people and injuring eight others, David Butler, a member of the Mormon church from Utah, said his initial reaction was that it was «an evil act.»
But after hearing the suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, who was killed in a shootout with police, left behind a wife and children, including a chronically ill son, Butler said he felt compelled to help them.
On Tuesday, Butler created an account on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, hoping, he said, to raise $10,000 for the alleged killer’s family. But as of Thursday afternoon, more than 7,600 people had donated more than $300,000 to the fund.
Asked why he set up the account for the family of a man who targeted members of his faith, the 53-year-old Butler in a phone interview on Thursday, «It was actually pretty simple.»
«Jesus tells us that we should do this. We should love our enemies, that we should mourn with those that mourn, that we should care for the widow and the orphan», said Butler, a lawyer and author of fantasy and science fiction books.
