Fundraiser for Heather Heyer, counterprotester killed at Charlottesville rally, nets $225,000

An online fundraiser for the family of Heather Heyer, who was killed in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday when a car plowed through a group of counterprotesters, has raised nearly $225,000 -- exceeding by more than four times its original goal.

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Donations continue to pour into the GoFundMe account.

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“Heather Heyer was murdered while protesting against hate,” the GoFundMe account creator, Felicia Venita Correa, wrote in the account’s page description. “We are raising money to give to her family for anything that they may need. The family is aware of this and is in complete charge of when and where the funds will be released. She is a Greene County native and graduated from William Monroe High School. Her mother (whom I will not name until she is ready) said “She died doing what was right. My heart is broken, but I am forever proud of her. She will truly be missed.”

The banner image on Heyer’s Facebook page spoke of civic engagement:

President Donald Trump addressed Heyer’s death via Twitter without naming her, writing: “Condolences to the family of the young woman killed today, and best regards to all of those injured, in Charlottesville, Virginia. So sad!”

Authorities arrested James Alex Fields, 20, of Ohio, and charged him with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count of failing to stop at an accident that resulted in a death.

MORE: What do we know about James Alex Fields?

The Associated Press reported three other arrests stemming from Saturday's chaos in Charlottesville, where people protesting the removal of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee clashed with counterprotesters. Troy Dunigan, 21, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was charged with disorderly conduct; Jacob L. Smith, 21, of Louisa, Virginia, was charged with assault and battery; and James M. O'Brien, 44, of Gainesville, Florida, was charged with carrying a concealed handgun.

In a statement on Saturday, Trump blamed “many sides” for inciting the violence -- an equivocation that’s drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Here are comments from Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who was once Trump’s rival for the presidential nomination, and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder:

“We agreed that the hate and the division must stop, and must stop right now,” Trump said during remarks issued from his New Jersey resort. “We have to come together as Americans with love for our nation and true affection for each other,” he said. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides. It’s been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump. Not Barack Obama. It’s been going on for a long, long time.”

He also called for a swift return of law and order. Here are some excerpts from the statement, posted on Trump’s Twitter feed:

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