AURORA, Colo. — Anguished family members of some of the Colorado theater shooting victims lashed out at a fundraising campaign Tuesday, saying it collected more than $5 million “using pictures and names of our murdered loved ones” but so far has given no more than $5,000 each to families facing bills for medical treatment, travel and other expense from the attack.

The families also said they’ve been shut out of decisions on how the money should be spent and that fundraisers were unresponsive to their questions and suggestions.

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Tom Teves, right, group spokesman for the families of the victims of the Colorado theater shooting, speaks during a press conference in Aurora, Colo., Tuesday. The Associated Press

“When you generate donations for a fund called ‘the Aurora Victim Relief Fund’ using pictures and names of our murdered loved ones, it would stand to reason the fund is for victims of the Aurora shooting,” said Tom Teves, whose son Alex was one of 12 people killed in the July 20 shootings. Another 58 people were wounded, and many of them face long recoveries or permanent disability.

At a sometimes-emotional news conference, Teves read a seven-page statement demanding the fundraisers give the victims and their families a say in how the money is used and questioning why so far only a relatively small portion, $350,000, was being distributed to the victims.

Teves said the statement was on behalf of 11 families. Eighteen other people crowded onto a small platform behind him.

The Community First Foundation, asked by Gov. John Hickenlooper to operate the relief fund, said on its website it has raised just over $5 million for the Aurora Victim Relief Fund. The foundation announced on Aug. 17 that it would give $350,000 to the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance to distribute among the surviving victims and the families of those who died. Earlier, it said another $100,000 was given to 10 nonprofit groups.

Marla J. Williams, president the Community First Foundation, said a gag order imposed by Arapahoe County District Judge William Blair Sylvester made it difficult to find all the victims and their families.

She said a group has been set up to recommend how to spend the donations but no victims’ representatives have been chosen yet. “I don’t know who represents the victims. There are a number of people who were involved,” she said, adding that the group at Tuesday’s news conference did not represent all the victims.

Williams said she worries that Tuesday’s statement will give donors second thoughts.

“I’m sad because I think there are people who have been very generous and contributors who might think their money has not been used wisely,” she said.

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