GoFundMe has allowed a fundraiser for the family of a now-deceased Minneapolis shooting suspect to reach $20,000 - despite the donation platform removing similar campaigns for Kyle Rittenhouse and Jose Alba - both of whom acted in self-defense.
Andrew Tekle Sundberg was fatally wounded by police after a six-hour standoff in a Minneapolis apartment complex last Thursday after he allegedly fired bullets into the apartment of a single mother of two while she was cooking dinner, KARE11 reports.
According to the search warrant, which was issued Thursday morning, while attempting to evacuate the apartment building, "officers started taking fire," prompting them to exit the building. At that point, Minneapolis police requested assistance from the Minneapolis SWAT Team, the warrant reads.
When the SWAT Team arrived, two snipers set up on the roof of a nearby apartment building, according to court documents. "At some point during the standoff, the two snipers shot the male subject," the search warrant reads. The man, later identified as Sundberg, was transported the HCMC where he later died. Minneapolis city officials identified the two officers as Aaron Pearson and Zachary Seraphine.
Of note, the GoFundMe page for Sundberg had initially raised more than the victim's GoFundMe, however after a tweet by Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) went viral, the fundraiser for the woman, Arabella Foss-Yarbrough, hit more than $60,000 as of this writing.
The GoFundMe for shooter Andrew Tekle Sundberg now has over $15K - out raising his victim, a single mother who hid with her two sons in her bedroom as he shot bullets through the walls of her apartment.
Two Minneapolis police snipers shot Sundberg after a multi-hour standoff. pic.twitter.com/VrGDE5YPc0
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) July 17, 2022
Some other photos of Andrew Tekle Sundberg - his parents have retained attorneys Ben Crump and Jeff Storms.
The BCA says they're reviewing police body camera video, but the videos have not been released. pic.twitter.com/JpyqbtWgX8
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) July 17, 2022
update: after posting this thread late last night, donations came flooding through to help and now double the amount what those were asking for in order to help single mother Yarbrough.
Great to see. Glad word spread on this.— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) July 17, 2022
In the family's GoFundMe, Subdberg is described as "a brother, uncle, son, friend, talented artist, hilarious, energetic human." Donations are promised to go towards his funeral expenses, food and other aid for his family, the Daily Caller reports.
In the past, GoFundMe has banned fundraising campaigns for people accused of being involved in violent crimes that the platform found to be in violation of its policies. The site banned some fundraisers seeking to help fund Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense prior to his acquittal and took down a fundraiser for Jose Alba, a New York bodega worker who allegedly stabbed and killed a man in self-defense, according to Newsweek.
GoFundMe’s terms of service say that it does not allow fundraisers for the “legal defense of alleged crimes associated with hate, violence, harassment, bullying, discrimination, terrorism, or intolerance of any kind.” The terms of service also say the platform keeps the prerogative to prohibit “any other activity that GoFundMe may deem, in its sole discretion, to … be unacceptable or objectionable.”
One donor paid $5 to Sundberg's page just to be able to tell the family that they should donate the proceeds of the fundraiser to the victim's family.
Well said statement by this donor. pic.twitter.com/eBQRzcNRKS
— SCMovementConservative (@kmadams88) July 17, 2022
GoFundMe told the NY Post: "The fundraiser, ‘T.S. Family Funds,’ states donations will go toward funeral, food, and family expenses," adding "Fundraisers for these types of expenses are allowed under GoFundMe’s terms of service."
via zerohedge