Justice Department Awards More Than $600,000 to Support Victims of Mass Violence

The Office of Justice Programs' Office for Victims of Crime has awarded two Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program grants totaling more than $600,000 to help victims, family members and first responders deal with the after-effects of two deadly incidents in Colorado and Washington State.

On Sept. 23, 2016, a gunman entered the Macy's department store at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Wash., and began indiscriminately shooting, leaving four women and one man dead, and numerous employees and customers traumatized. The Washington Department of Commerce's Office of Crime Victims Advocacy will receive $185,258 to reimburse the agency for victim crisis response and vital services rendered after the incident. The funding also will provide important training and support services for first responders and other victims impacted by the shooting to help them heal.

The other mass violence incident occurred on Nov. 1, 2017, when a man entered a Walmart Supercenter in Thornton, Colo., and shot and killed three people and terrorized 179 customers and 63 employees. Colorado's 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office will receive $423,414 in reimbursement for crisis response services provided following the incident. The funding will also be essential to offer additional resources for victims, first responders and the community, while also supporting the victims during the upcoming trial.

For more information about AEAP, please visit: https://www.ovc.gov/AEAP/.