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DOJ Press Release letterhead

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 7, 2005
https://ojp.gov/
Office of Justice Programs
Contact: Joan LaRocca
Phone: (202) 307-0703
TTY: (202) 514-1888

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PROVIDES RED LAKE, MINNESOTA $250,000 TO ASSIST VICTIMS OF SCHOOL SHOOTING

WASHINGTON - The Office of Justice Programs' Office for Victims of Crime today announced the award of $250,000 to provide compensation to victims of the tragic school shooting in Red Lake, Minnesota, on March 21.

     "The entire community of Red Lake has our deepest sympathies during such a difficult time of loss," said Tracy A. Henke, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. "This assistance is intended to provide timely relief and respond to the ongoing challenges and needs in serving victims in the aftermath of this tragedy."

     The grant is awarded under the Office of Justice Programs' Office for Victims of Crime's Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program for Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes (AEAP). Funds may be used to reimburse victims and their family members for such expenses as funeral and burial, medical, mental health counseling, lost wages, loss of support, and crime scene cleanup. The AEAP provides support to victim assistance services and supplements compensation to victims of terrorism and mass violence within the United States and assistance to U.S. citizens and government employees who are victims of terrorism and mass violence abroad.

     The Office for Victims of Crime also funded services and assistance to the Red Lake Community through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). With funding from OVC immediately following the shooting, the FBI Office for Victim Assistance and the Minneapolis Field Office deployed ten victim specialists to the Red Lake Indian Reservation to address victim assistance matters related to the shooting at Red Lake High School. The victim specialists were assigned to various sites upon arrival to the Reservation including: the Incident Command Center, MeritCare Hospital in Fargo North Dakota, and Bemidji Hospital in Bemidji, Minnesota. The victim specialists also established liaison with the Red Cross and other victim assistance organizations and individuals deployed to the Reservation.

     The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises five component bureaus and two offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education and the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy and OJP's American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk. More information can be found at https://ojp.gov.

 

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