Chicago community raises more than $40K for husband of gay man killed in alleged stalker shooting

More than 400 people have donated upwards of $40,000 for the husband of a beloved Chicago gay community member, who prosecutors say was gunned down by his spouse’s ex-partner after years of alleged harassment and stalking claims that had previously reached the courts.The killing of Nicholas “Pup Tugger” Calzaretta, 37, has shaken Chicago’s LGBTQ+ leather and pup communities and intensified scrutiny over the limits of protective orders in cases involving escalating threats and intimate partner violence.The morning Calzaretta was killed, his dog would not leave him.Neighbors watched from behind police tape as officers flooded a quiet residential block in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Children were arriving at nearby schools. And beside Calzaretta’s body, witnesses later told the Chicago Sun-Times, the dog remained in place after prosecutors say a man with ties to the victim’s personal life chased him down and opened fire.In the days since the shooting, grief has rippled through Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community and beyond. More than 400 people have donated upwards of $40,000 to support Calzaretta’s surviving husband, Cam Prather, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser that has become part memorial, part communal outcry.Related: Heroic Chicago trans comedian recalls saving infant from ice-cold Lake Michigan: ‘I guess I’m going in’The death of Calzaretta, 37, has also sharpened attention on a haunting detail buried in court records. According to reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times, Calzaretta previously sought a protective order against the man now accused of killing him.Calzaretta was widely known in Chicago’s leather and pup communities as “Pup Tugger.” According to Windy City Times, he was a founding member of Windy City Pups & Handlers, a community group that fostered social connection and chosen family among queer Chicagoans.In a Facebook statement, the organization described Calzaretta as a foundational presence in the group’s culture and