RALEIGH, N.C. — As an east Raleigh community on Saturday mourned the five lives lost in a mass shooting two days earlier, friends, family members and colleagues organized memorials and fundraisers in their memory.
The Raleigh Police Department on Saturday announced a memorial for Gabriel Torres, the off-duty officer killed Thursday in the shooting rampage in the Hedingham neighborhood.
Police asked those who wish to contribute in honor of Torres or to support his family to contact SupportRPD@raleighnc.gov.
“The senseless acts of violence on October 13th have left the Raleigh Police Department grieving and mourning with the community," police stated on Twitter. "We continue to pray for the families of those that lost their loved ones and wish for a swift recovery of those injured."
Several fundraisers have been set up through the online platform gofundme, including one established by Back the Blue N.C. for Torres and another for Mary Marshall, who also was fatally shot.
On Sunday, Hedingham resident Tracey Howard set up a page in honor of his wife, Nicole Connors, and their dog, who both were killed Thursday.
"I left her and Sammy for a moment to go to the store, and they were both gone within minutes," Howard states on his fundraiser, which will help with funeral expenses in her home state of Ohio.
Another fundraiser seeks to help Marcille Gardner recover after the shooting. Gardner, one of two wounded in the shooting, was in critical condition on Friday.
An officer who was wounded in the attacks was treated and released.
Police had not named the 15-year-old suspect as of Saturday, but the teen remained in critical condition in hospital.
The Gofundme.com site is not managed by Spectrum News. For more information on how the site works and the rules visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.