HAMPTON -- A Hampton school is raising money to help a student whose mother was killed trying to help a friend.
Asbury Elementary School raised more than $500 in just a few days but wants $1,500 more to help pay for Latonya Birsner's funeral.
Police says Birsner was shot by Renaldo Winship on October 24 when she intervened in a fight between Winship and her friend, who is the mother of his children.
Birsner's 10-year-old daughter is now staying with her grandmother.
Asbury employees say they learned the fifth grader's family is struggling financially because Birsner was the sole provider.
'This girl and her grandmother should be able to grieve and say goodbye the way they see fit and not be weighed down by strained finances,' says guidance counselor Kara Hart.
Hart says parents and teachers have made donations, but she fears it won't be enough.
To help the family, stop by or send money to Francis Asbury School, 140 Beach Road, Hampton VA, 23664.
If there's money beyond the funeral costs, it will be used to help Birsner's family pay other bills.
