Over $470,000 raised for victims of fatal shooting rampage in Denver, Lakewood
After tragedy struck the Denver metro area, people nationwide opened their hearts and wallets to help support the victims of Monday’s deadly shooting rampage.
A gunman carried out a series of attacks throughout Denver and Lakewood Monday evening, killing five people and injuring two others. As of 7 p.m. Thursday, $470,930 had been raised for the victims and their families through online fundraisers.
The deceased victims are Alicia Cardenas, Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, Danny Scofield, Sarah Steck and Michael Swinyard. The two surviving victims are Jimmy Maldonado — husband of Gunn-Maldonado — and Lakewood Agent Ashley Ferris who fatally shot the gunman.
Cardenas, 44, was a local artist and the owner of the Sol Tribe tattoo shop in Denver. Her GoFundMe had raised $177,169 as of Thursday evening, to pay for funeral expenses and to care for Cardenas’ 12-year-old daughter.
“In the wake of such a devastating and senseless tragedy, a massive global community is grieving the immense loss of this powerful woman,” said Aloria Weaver, a family friend who is organizing the fundraiser.
Gunn-Maldonado, 35, was a yoga instructor at The Sol Shine in Denver and stepmom to a young son. Her husband is in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds. A joint fundraiser for the family had raised $176,384 as of Thursday evening.
“Alyssa, you taught me so much about presence, grace and care through the countless hours I spent with you on the yoga mat,” wrote donator Brenton Weyi. “I always loved sharing moments of depth in conversation and receiving one of your soulful hugs. You shined so much light on the community.”
Scofield, 38, was a tattoo artist at Lucky 13 Tattoo and Piercing in Lakewood and the father of three children. Two fundraisers were started for his family early Wednesday morning and have since raised $42,394 total.
“Danny is the most amazing human I have ever had the honor of knowing,” said Joshua Clement, a family friend who is organizing the fundraiser. “Danny lived his life to the fullest, never letting anyone stand in his way of what he wanted. He will be missed by so many but never forgotten.”
Steck, 28, was a graphic designer and an employee at the Hyatt House hotel in Lakewood. Unlike the other victims, police said they believe the gunman was not targeting Steck, but instead the hotel she worked at. Two fundraisers for her family have raised $42,798 since they were launched Wednesday morning.
“She was loved and touched so many people’s lives,” said Devan Romero, who organized the fundraiser. “This is to help the family with the unexpected bills coming up to hopefully ease some of the stress in this time of extreme pain.”
Ferris is a three-year veteran of the Lakewood Police Department. She encountered the shooter after he left the Hyatt House hotel and was shot in the abdomen. From the ground, Ferris returned fire, killing the gunman, police said. She is recovering in the hospital and a fundraiser to pay for her medical bills had raised $32,185 as of Thursday evening.
“You are a real hero Ashley,” wrote donator Nicholas Rizzuto. “The fact that you ran into the face of danger to protect the innocent shows the warrior that you are.”
No fundraiser had been set up for Swinyard as of Thursday evening.
In addition to the fundraisers for individual victims, the Colorado Healing Fund has been activated to collect funds for victims’ families, funneled through organizations like the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance.
This is the third time the fund, established for mass causality incidents, has been activated in 2021. It raised $3.5 million for victims of the Boulder supermarket shooting in March and $32,000 for victims of the Colorado Springs mobile home mass shooting in May, according to Executive Director Jordan Finegan.





