Family of 12-year-old boy critically injured in Big Spring shooting launches GoFundMe
BIG SPRING, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A GoFundMe has been launched to help cover medical expenses for 12-year-old Izayah 'Zay' Olgin, the boy who was critically injured in a shooting last week.
According to the Big Spring Police Department, officers responded around 11:45 p.m. on February 16 to the 100 block of E. 20th Street, where they found the young victim with a gunshot wound to the head.
Izayah was rushed to Scenic Mountain Medical Center for emergency treatment before being flown to a Lubbock hospital for continued care. As of the latest update, he remains in critical condition.
Authorities identified the suspect as a 14-year-old boy, who was taken into custody on February 18 around 10:00 a.m. You can read more about that arrest .
Family friend Amanda Garrett Tolbert started the GoFundMe campaign to help Izayah's family with medical and travel expenses. According to the fundraiser description, Izayah underwent emergency surgery to reduce brain swelling and will face a long road to recovery. His grandmother, who raises him and his sister on a fixed income, faces financial challenges traveling the hour-and-a-half distance between Big Spring and Lubbock for his care.
'He is going to be OK, thank God, but he's going to have a long hard road to recovery,' Tolbert wrote. 'I'm hoping people find it in their hearts to donate whatever they can to help take some of the load off his grandmother.'
Tolbert assured donors that all contributions would go directly to the family, as she is managing the funds as treasurer. She also siad that this is the only official GoFundMe for Izayah, urging people to avoid other fundraising pages that may appear online.
To visit the GoFundMe visit this website.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. Authorities have not released additional details regarding the circumstances of the incident or the charges the suspect may face.
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