GoFundMe campaign for officer charged with Walter Scott killing shut down

GoFundMe has shut down a campaign to raise money for the South Carolina police officer charged with murder after he shot an unarmed black man eight times in the back during a routine traffic stop.

Patrolman Michael Slager, 33, of the North Charleston Police Department was fired and charged with first-degree murder after a bystander's video recorded him firing at 50-year-old Walter Scott as he ran away, killing him earlier this week. 

GoFundMe confirmed it had removed the campaign for what it called a violation of its terms and conditions, according to reports on Think Progress and other blogs. 

GoFundMe bans "campaigns in defence of formal charges of heinous crimes, including violent, hateful or sexual acts." 

The crowdfunding website was facing pressure on Twitter from users who urged it to remove the page. 

When news that the campaign had been taken down spread, Twitter users again responded. 

However, rival service Indiegogo maintained its page to raise money for Slager. Its goal is to raise $5,000, and after its first day, the campaign had raised just under $400 from 20 people. 

"We're campaigning to show our Support for Officer Michael T. Slager! We believe in all of our LEOs and want to publicly support them!," the webpage reads. 

The campaign has associated Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts.  

An Indiegogo representative told the blog Mashable that the site "allows anyone, anywhere to fund ideas that matter to them and just like other open platforms — such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter — we don't judge the content of campaigns as long as they are in compliance with our Terms of Use."

Indiegogo is also facing criticism and threats of a boycott for allowing the campaign to continue.