Who impacted by Oxford High School shooting should receive money from donations? Committee to decide

OXFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - As a steering committee decides how to disperse the nearly $2 million in donations received after the Oxford High School shooting, some people aren't happy with the proposed criteria.

Only those who were in hallway where the deadly Nov. 30, 2021, shooting occurred would be eligible to receive funds. Some categories of eligible applicants include legal heirs of those killed, people physically injured, and those who experienced psychological trauma that led them to seek mental health treatment.

Read more Oxford High School shooting coverage here.

Community members shared their thoughts with the steering committee Monday.

"My daughter was not in the 200 hallway, but her and her best friend were in the hallway adjacent. They heard the gunshots. They had to run for their life, and not knowing what was going on, so that's considered trauma, too," one parent said.

Related: Oxford students, families, staff can receive money for mental health care after school shooting

"I counted 10 different comments where people, it seemed like they wanted to be heard," said Joe Farrell, who is a member of the committee. "Trying to listen, incorporate all the feedback, I think it's going to be hard. We're trying to make sure everybody gets what they deserve, and make sure that it's fair. It's going to be hard."

The committee said it wants to make sure people who helped others but were outside the shooting area are still able to get money. 

"The National Compassion Fund is committed to distributing 100% of the donations to the victims of this event, but if we cover the whole school, there's at least 1,500 people In the school at the time minimum and I don't know that we have the resources to do that, especially if we're going to prioritize the people who were killed and the people who were wounded," said Jeffrey Dion, with the National Compassion Fund, which is managing the distribution of donations. 

The steering committee will likely finalize the rules for who are eligible to receive funds Friday and reveal the rules next week. Then, those eligible can apply between April 4-29.

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