REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
- Randy Park is the son of Hyun Jung Grant, one of the eight victims in the Atlanta spa shootings.
- Park set up a GoFundMe to raise $20,000 for him and his brother's financial needs after losing their mother.
- Within 24 hours, support flooded in and Park raised more than $1.5 million dollars.
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Randy Park, the son of Hyun Jung Grant, one of the eight victims in the Atlanta spa shootings, said that to him and his brother, his mother was one of their best friends and "the strongest influence on who we are today."
Park, 23, set up a GoFundMe on Thursday to cover his and his brother's needs after Grant, who worked at Gold Spa, was killed by a gunman who targeted three Asian-owned spas on Tuesday.
In under 24 hours, Park raised $1.5 million, blowing past his targeted goal of $20,000, with the donations steadily rising on Friday.
On his GoFundMe page, Park said that his brother and he are currently on their own following their mother's death. His "biggest priority right now is to put my mother to rest and plan out the funeral but due to some legal complications, I am unable to obtain my mother's body," Park wrote.
Grant was one of four of the victims identified on Friday by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office.
"Any donation will be used as funds for basic living necessities for my brother and I such as food, bills, and other expenses," Park said on GoFundMe.
He also described being in a precarious housing situation, because his mother was the family's primary breadwinner.
"As much as I want to grieve and process the reality that she is gone, I have a younger brother to take care of and matters to resolve as a result of this tragedy," Park said in his call for donations.
People online responded to that call, and Park exceeded the donation goal.
In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Park said that his mother, "spent her whole life just existing for my brother and I."
Park described having a tight-knit bond with his mother as the family of three lived in Seattle and then moved to Atlanta.
Grant was "a big kid," Park told NBC News, who had a playful soul and enjoyed listening to disco music.
After the surge in donations, Park thanked those who chipped in on GoFundMe.
"I don't know how any word I write here will ever convey how grateful and blessed I am to receive this much support," Park wrote.
"Thank you everyone and please share whatever care and kindness you have shown here to anyone you know that feels scared or unsure about the world we live in." Park said, "My mother can rest easy knowing I have the support of the world with me."