DOJ awards almost $10M in antiterrorism funding to assist victims of Parkland shooting

The Justice Department on Wednesday awarded $9.8 million in antiterrorism funds to assist victims of the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

The grant will include funding to the Florida Department of Legal Affairs’ Division of Victim Services and Criminal Justice Programs to reimburse agencies that delivered services after the shooting, as well as providing “ongoing trauma-informed, evidence-based healing and resiliency services.”

“More than two years after 17 innocent lives were violently cut short, the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas remains as senseless as it is painful,” Office of Justice Programs Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan said in a statement.

“We open our hearts and pledge our continued support to the families of the victims, to the brave first responders who came to the scene that terrible day and to the entire community of Parkland,” she added.

“This heartbreak lives on every day for the survivors, family members and first responders involved. Following the shooting, I spent countless hours with the families of the victims, and we worked together to provide help and support for the community, and we made changes to prevent future tragedies,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who was governor of Florida at the time of the shooting, said in a statement Wednesday. “But, so many survivors are still suffering from the impacts of the horrific act of violence and the devastating loss of loved ones. I’m incredibly grateful to the Administration for providing this funding and continuing to work to support this brave community.”