David Butler, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said his initial reaction to the news that a gunman attacked an LDS church in Michigan on Sunday was that it was "an awful and evil act."
But then, Butler told ABC News, he heard the suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, left behind a wife and children after being killed in a shootout with police.
Four people died and eight others were injured after Sanford allegedly rammed his pickup truck through the front doors of the Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Sunday morning, began shooting and set fire to the building.
Still, Butler, a 53-year-old lawyer and author, told the outlet that he felt moved to help the alleged gunman's family following the horrific assault.
On Tuesday, he created a GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign, hoping to raise $10,000 for Sanford's family, he said. As of Friday morning, however, more than 8,300 people had donated more than $330,000 to the funding appeal.
When asked why he decided to set up the account for the family of the man who police say targeted members of his faith, Butler told ABC it was a "pretty simple" choice to make.
"Jesus tells us that we should do this," he said. "We should love our enemies, that we should mourn with those that mourn, that we should care for the widow and the orphan."
In the aftermath of the shooting, other crowdsourced funding campaigns were created on behalf of those who were killed and wounded in the attack, which reportedly raised tens of thousands of dollars for the victims.
"It became obvious that nobody was doing anything to care for Sanford's family, and it was obvious they were going to need it," Butler said.
Since starting the crowdfunding campaign, Butler said he's been on the receiving end of some negative reactions from people who have called him "evil" and "self-aggrandizing," as well as those who have told him to "raise money for the real victims."
"She did not send off her husband in the morning, saying, 'Good luck killing the Mormons,'" Butler told ABC of Sanford's widow. "They're victims, too. They lost their father. That's going to be an economic detriment to them for years. They already have a chronically sick child."
Many of the people donating to Sanford's family appear to be members of the LDS church, Butler said, and have offered up prayers for them.
"I don't know what ... number we're at now, but at least 7,500 or so people looked at that and said, 'Yeah, you were right. There is another set of victims here that we hadn't thought about, and I want to help them,'" he said.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.