TLDR
Supporters have raised more than $400,000 for Boston police officer Nicholas O’Malley, who has pleaded not guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge in the March 11th fatal shooting of alleged carjacking suspect Stephenson King in Massachusetts.
An online fundraiser for a Boston police officer now facing a felony charge has quickly become a public barometer of support in a contested shooting case. The money is intended to aid the officer and his family while prosecutors, investigators, and city officials sort through what happened.
According to Fox News US, a GoFundMe campaign for Officer Nicholas O’Malley had collected about $414,000 by a recent Monday afternoon. O’Malley, a 33-year-old officer from Randolph, Massachusetts, is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the killing of 39-year-old Stephenson King, who authorities say had just carjacked a woman.
Crowdfunding Becomes a Proxy Fight
The fundraiser, reportedly started by a fellow officer, frames the case as a family crisis as much as a legal one. The campaign text appeals to donors’ sense of obligation to an officer under scrutiny, and to the financial strain that can follow a serious criminal charge.
The GoFundMe description states that “The O’Malley family is facing an incredibly difficult time due to unforeseen circumstances, and they need our support now more than ever,” and notes that with two young children, “the financial road ahead is uncertain.” The size of the response suggests that, for many donors, supporting O’Malley is also a way to register a view on how the shooting is being judged.
Online fundraiser for Boston police officer charged with killing carjacking suspect rakes in massive sum Nicholas O’Malley has pleaded not guilty to voluntary manslaughter, as Boston councilors urge against rushing to judgment. https://t.co/7p1xIrZoIZ pic.twitter.com/mo9z0QLXHb
— NahBabyNah (@NahBabyNahNah) March 24, 2026
The March 11th Shooting and Criminal Charge
In the account reported by Fox News US, a woman told police that a man later identified as King assaulted her, dragged her from her running vehicle, and drove away. Officers, including O’Malley, located the vehicle and ordered King to show his hands and shut off the engine.
Investigators say King, who they describe as having a lengthy criminal history, raised his hands and partially opened the window but did not fully comply. After King reversed into a police cruiser and then moved the vehicle forward again, O’Malley fired three rounds through the driver’s side window, fatally striking him. Prosecutors allege that the shooting was not a lawful act of self-defense or defense of others, which underpins the voluntary manslaughter charge.
Calls for Caution and Release of Footage
The criminal case has prompted public statements from Boston City Council members, who have urged residents to avoid drawing premature conclusions. The councilors are responding both to the serious nature of the charge and to wider debates over how to assess officers’ decisions during fast-moving confrontations.
Councilor Erin Murphy highlighted reports of King’s criminal history and pressed for more transparency, including the release of the responding officers’ body camera footage. Another councilor wrote that when an officer makes a split-second decision in what is described as a dangerous encounter, “we cannot jump to any conclusion that this was done maliciously or without necessary action.” Those statements underscore the tension between public accountability and deference to officers’ on-scene judgment.
The fundraising totals, the manslaughter charge, and the calls for body camera footage place this case at the intersection of criminal prosecution and public trust in policing. As the case moves through arraignment, pretrial hearings, and potential trial, the legal record, not the crowdfunding page, will determine O’Malley’s fate.
