Vocal supporters of the assassin accused in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson are budding in a series of online fundraisers, hailing the elusive gunman as a "hero of the people."
GoFundMe organizer Victoria Bell launched her campaign Friday aimed at raising monies to cover legal fees in an effort to ensure a shot at a fair trial if the suspect is captured alive.
"If he dies in a blaze of glory," Bell wrote, "then I will use the funds to pay for all his funeral expenses and help whatever family he leaves behind," according to the fundraiser description. "If the funds allow it, I would also like to commission a respectable statue of this hero of the people. Together we will stand strong and remember our heroes in this time of struggle."
The enterprise raised zero dollars toward its $50,000 goal at press time.
Bell's fundraiser is one of several sprouting in support of the perpetrator accused in the pre-dawn shooting of 50-year-old Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel.
Thompson was in New York City for the health insurance company's annual investors meeting when he was fatally shot Wednesday by an unknown assailant who fled down an alleyway, and later on a bus.
A separate GoFundMe campaign launched by a woman named Kristy Erickson and focused on collecting $100,000 for the alleged killer's defense fees was also rolled out Friday.
"For too long, insurance companies have victimized sick people; this man is their karma," she wrote as part of the fundraiser description. "This individual did what the rest of us won't... This man is a hero and should get the best defense the United States has to offer."
On Thursday, police released surveillance images of the shooter with his face mask pulled down, smiling as he used a fake New Jersey ID to check into the HI New York City Hostel in Manhattan prior to carrying out the deadly ambush on Thompson.
Police, who are still working to confirm his identity, described the suspect as a light-skinned male, last seen wearing a light brown or cream colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a "very distinctive" gray backpack.
A motive remains under investigation.
