The family of the victims in a recent Port Huron shooting are asking for help covering their medical and funeral expenses.
A GoFundMe page has been set up asking for donations to help the two children who were seriously injured when they were shot Thursday, Sept. 11. A 44-year-old man identified as the victims’ father was arrested following the incident.
The victims were a 13-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Another child, a 17-year-old boy, was killed in the shooting.
“The mother, is left to care for her two injured children while grieving the loss of her son and husband,” the GoFundMe page states. “She faces the daunting task of planning a funeral, paying mounting medical bills, and providing for her family’s basic needs, including food. The family was already struggling to make ends meet before this tragedy and now needs to find a new, handicap-accessible home.”
The victims were both transported to a Detroit hospital following the shooting. The GoFundMe page states the 13-year-old boy suffered severe injuries to his face, including shattered cheekbones and damage to his upper jaw and nasal area.
The 12-year-old girl is reportedly paralyzed from the shoulders down as a result of her injury and will have to undergo facial reconstruction.
The GoFundMe page, which is asking for a total of $35,000, had already raised $20,483 by Friday afternoon in the 13 hours since it was created. The family posted that the money will not only help with the children’s medical expenses, but also help them find a disability-accessible home and cover the funeral expenses of the child who died.
Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-a-family-in-a-devastating-crisis-and-funeral-cost. The page states it is being organized by the Smerer’s Family.
A message seeking comment to the organizer was not immediately returned.
The shooter is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Family of Port Huron shooting victims post GoFundMe for hospital expenses, funeral costs
Reporting by Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
