Almost $20,000 raised in support of the victims of the October 23 mass murder in Sault Ste. Marie will be returned after the organizer says he has received hate mail on how it was to be split between the two families affected.
A total of $18,500 was raised as part of a GoFundMe crowdsourcing effort that was set up soon after the tragedy by former city councillor and recent mayoral candidate Ozzie Grandinetti. An unspecified amount was also collected in a bank account set up for the same purpose for people who did not want to use GoFundMe.
”The money will be used to support the costs of the funerals and other essential needs," said the original post on the GoFundMe page. "The funds will be split between the [name redacted] and Sweeney families through a bank transfer."
When interviewed in October, Grandinetti declined to disclose his relationship to the victims out of respect.
On Wednesday, Grandinetti announced on his Facebook page that he was preparing to distribute that money, with 75 per cent going to support the family of the three children who were killed and the remaining 25 per cent going to the family of Angie Sweeney.
By the time SooToday reached Grandinetti by phone on Thursday, he said he has received backlash to how that money was being distributed and that he has decided to return all funds to the 195 donors. He is also returning funds that were placed in a bank account for the same purpose.
“I authorized GoFundMe to return all of the money,” Grandinetti said by phone on Thursday. “Those who have donated through my bank account are all friends of mine and there was quite a bit but I am returning all of that money.”
As of this story being published, the fundraising page was still active. SooToday reached out to GoFundMe for comment but did not yet receive a response.
Multiple postings on the Angie's Angels Facebook group, which was set up in memory of Sweeney, say they contributed to the GoFundMe thinking the money was going to be split 50/50 between the two families, although some are in favour of the fundraising effort by Grandinetti.
Grandinetti said he has received a number of calls and Facebook posts from people criticizing him for not splitting up the funds 50/50.
He said the response of one person in particular led to the decision to close down the GoFundMe effort.
“I’m not going to get into it but I am sure we all know who it is and I know the circumstances are shitty, but the money was for funeral and not for peoples’ education,” said Grandinetti. “I have recorded conversations that aren’t good on the other end, which are not good at all — not towards me, it’s a black eye for one family.”
“It’s an embarrassment to that family, that’s all I am going to say,” he added. “It’s sad that it’s come to this. You try to do something good for people and it ends up like this.”
On Oct. 23, 41-year-old Sweeney was killed in her Tancred Street home by her ex-boyfriend Bobbie Hallaert. The gunman then proceeded to a Second Line home where he killed his three children Abbie, Ally and Nate Hallaert, ages 12, 7 and 6. The children’s 45-year-old mother was also shot but survived and Hallaert died after turning the gun on himself.
