Capital Gazette Shooting GoFundMe: How to Help the Victims

In response to the shooting that took place at the Capital Cazette in Annapolis, Maryland, on Thursday morning, a GoFundMe page has been set up to support the multiple victims. So far, at least five people have been confirmed dead, via the Baltimore Sun.

The GoFundMe page, which was set up by Madi Alexander, a data journalist from Oklahoma, was set up early Thursday afternoon. Within an hour, it was more than halfway to its original goal of raising $10,000 dollars for the victims.

The page read, “Please give what you can to help the Capital Gazette newsroom and their journalists. Our hearts break for our colleagues in Annapolis and we want to do whatever we possibly can to help them pay for medical bills, funeral costs, newsroom repairs, and any other unforeseen expenses that might arise as a result of this terrible shooting.”

There’s also an editor’s note at the bottom of the page, clarifying, “Madi Alexander started this GoFundMe because it’s the only way she can deal with her emotions right now. Rest assured, Madi is in contact with journalists from the Capital Gazette newsroom. Both GoFundMe and Capital Gazette staff will be consulted before any funds are withdrawn or distributed. Accountability and transparency are important.”

Alexander reiterated her transparency in a tweet, explaining that she wasn’t being “shady” and would not be able to withdraw any money from the page, herself.


If you’re interested in donating, or simply want to share the message of the fundraiser, you can check out the page, which has options to tweet or share on Facebook as well.

Another way to support the victims of the shooting (and to make a statement of support towards the Capital Gazette, in general) is to subscribe to the newspaper here. The newspaper offers several types of digital subscriptions at low prices, including a weekly all-access digital subscription fee of two dollars a week.

In the past, GoFundMe pages for the victims of shootings have been incredibly successful in raising money for those harmed in senseless and violent mass shootings. The official GoFundMe page for victims of the Las Vegas shooting (which took over fifty lives) surpassed 11 million dollars in less than a year. The purpose of that page was similar to what one would assume the purpose of any page aimed at raising money for victims of shootings: “to provide relief and financial support to the victims and families.”

According to Phil Davis, a Capital Gazette crime reporter who was reportedly inside of the building when the shooting occurred, said that the gunman shot through the glass as people tried to hide beneath their desks.

Once he was safe, he later tweeted, “Gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees. Can’t say much more and don’t want to declare anyone dead, but it’s bad.”

Jimmy DeButts, an editor for the Capital Gazette who was not in the building at the time of the shooting, tweeted that he was “devastated and heartbroken.” He added,
“Please stop asking for information/interviews. I’m in no position to speak, just know @capgaznews reporters & editors give all they have every day. There are no 40 hour weeks, no big paydays – just a passion for telling stories from our communty.”

DeButts then followed up with a Twitter thread highlighting the hard work and effort of the Capital Gazette team, across the board.

“We are there in times of tragedy,” he tweeted next. “We do our best to share the stories of people, those who make our community better. Please understand, we do all this to serve our community.”

DeButts finished his Twitter thread by reinforcing the solidity of the newspaper.