People from across the U.S. have sent gifts and nearly $158,000 has been raised for a Chicago-area mentally disabled teenager who was shown live on Facebook being beaten. A spokesman for the youth's family says the outpouring has been "heartwarming."
Neal Strom says several groups have reached out since last week's incident, including police officers from Buffalo, New York. Strom says he is working with the victim's family to manage proceeds from the online fundraising effort.
A representative of GoFundMe has said the company will make sure the money reaches the teen's family. As of this afternoon the effort has raised nearly $158,000 from 5,000 donors.
Four people face battery and hate crimes counts among other charges in the attack.