Team donates $30K to slain soldier’s family

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins donated $30,000 on Saturday to a GoFundMe account set up for the education of Sgt. La David Johnson’s children. Johnson was one of four United States soldiers killed in Niger on Oct. 4, and his death was at the center of a public dispute this past week between President Donald Trump and Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson, a Democrat.

Johnson died when his patrol was ambushed by Islamic militants, and lawmakers have since demanded more information on the attack.

Johnson’s death sparked a controversy after details of Trump’s phone call offering condolences to his widow, Myeshia Johnson, became public. Wilson heard the call on speakerphone and said Trump told Johnson that her husband “knew what he was signing up for.”

Trump has since tweeted a string of insults at Wilson, calling the founder of the 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project, “whacky.”

White House chief of staff John Kelly, who also heard the call, sharply criticized Wilson on Thursday. Kelly mentioned a 2015 dedication of a Miramar FBI building, saying Wilson said in her speech that she “got the money” for the building.

Exclusive Sun Sentinel video showed Kelly misrepresented the 2015 speech Wilson made at the opening of a new FBI building, and Wilson has since demanded an apology.

Johnson is survived by his wife, who is six months pregnant, and two children. About 1,000 people attended his funeral Saturday in Cooper City.

The 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project, which was a mentorship organization Johnson was a part of when he was an adolescent, created the Role Model Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson Scholarship to benefit his children by providing money towards their college education. As of Sunday afternoon the fund has raised $686,133. It’s goal is $1 million.

Also killed in the ambush in Niger were Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright and Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, along with five Nigerien soldiers.

U.S. officials are investigating how the sergeant, whose body was found a mile from the ambush site, got separated from his team. A search-and-rescue operation by U.S., French and Nigerian troops recovered his remains 48 hours after the attack by ISIS fighters.

The Dolphins routinely make donations of this nature, and team owner Steve Ross, whom Forbes estimates is worth $7.6 billion, has vowed to donate half of his net worth to charitable ventures.