• Fundraiser for the family of shooter Thomas Sanford has raised over $300,000.
• Organizer David Butler emphasizes support for the bereaved family amidst tragedy.
• The church attack resulted in four fatalities and eight injuries during a Sunday service.
• Community members have expressed mixed feelings regarding the fundraiser on social media.

An online fundraiser for the family of Thomas “Jake” Sanford, who carried out a deadly attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan, has raised over $300,000 as of Thursday. The initiative, launched by David Butler, a longtime member of the church from Utah, has resonated with many contributors who feel a sense of compassion for Sanford's family amid the tragedy, in which four people were killed and eight others injured, according to BBC, Los Angeles Times, and ABC News.

Butler initially set a modest goal of $10,000 to help the Sanford family, which includes children and a son with chronic health issues. The swift influx of donations, which topped 7,600 contributors within 48 hours, reflects how many in the Latter-day Saints community want to provide support to what they consider innocent victims of the violence, as Butler described it as a “whirlwind of love and forgiveness,” according to BBC and Los Angeles Times.

The attack occurred as Sanford drove his truck into the church during a Sunday service, subsequently firing at congregants before igniting a fire that destroyed the chapel. Eyewitness accounts and police revelations have categorically labeled it a “targeted act of violence.” Despite earlier connections to the church, Sanford's motive for the attack remains unclear, although friends have indicated he harbored resentment towards the faith after relationships that didn't succeed in Utah, according to Los Angeles Times and ABC News.

Despite the positive response to the fundraiser, it has sparked controversy online, with critics questioning the appropriateness of fundraising for the family of a man who instigated such violence. Butler maintained that the widow and children are also victims of the horrific event, saying, "They did not send off their husband in the morning, saying, 'Good luck killing the Mormons,'" highlighting the broader implications of grief and loss experienced by family members of person responsible for the act, according to Los Angeles Times and ABC News.