The parents of Colorado State forward Emmanuel Omogbo died in a house fire in Maryland on Tuesday morning along with the 2-year-old twin children of his sister. To help him in any way it can, the school has created a GoFundMe page to assist the Omogbo family.
In the first five hours of the page’s creation, more than $20,000 was donated to the fund which was created by the Colorado State athletic department and is compliant with NCAA bylaws. The funds will be used for funeral, medical, temporary housing, or any other expense that’s needed. If more funds are raised than are needed, the money will be donated to “a charitable cause.”
As of 9:30pm CT on Wednesday, more than $29,000 had been raised by 694 donors.
“This is absolutely heartbreaking for Emmanuel, his family and for all of us that know him,” Colorado State University coach Larry Eustachy said in a statement. “There are no words to describe how it felt to hear this terrible news earlier today. They were a beautiful family that I enjoyed getting to know. The entire Colorado State men’s basketball team, athletic program and university will be there to support and help Emmanuel in any way we can through this incredibly tough time in his life.”
According to the Prince George’s County fire chief, via ESPN, Omogbo’s parents, Samson and Caroline, died at the scene, while the 2-year-old twins were declared dead at the hospital. Omogbo’s sister, Elizabeth Omije, survived after jumping from a second-story window.
H/T CBSSports.com | Photo via Colorado State