Washington, DC - The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Thursday awarded $1 million to the Texas Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, to pay overtime expenses for law enforcement officers who responded to the scene of the deadly shootings on May 18 at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas.
The State of Texas, the City of Santa Fe, and Galveston County incurred several million dollars in costs in responding to the incident. State and local officials continue to incur expenses and the grant will defray some of the costs.
"When there is a tragedy, the Department of Justice is there for police and first responders,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Today, we continue to help state and local police in Texas to rebuild after the tragic murder of ten people at Santa Fe High School. We have provided a total of $1 million to defray their expenses since that terrible day. We honor and respect the law officers who serve at the state, local, and tribal levels, and we continue to support them and their life-saving work every single day."
According to reports, on the morning of May 18, the assailant opened fire in a classroom and the school resource officer and state and local law enforcement personnel confronted the shooter. The assailant reportedly threatened to shoot the officers, firing several rounds while arguing with the police. Officers engaged the shooter and allowed for the safe evacuation of other students and faculty.
Ten people were tragically killed and more than a dozen others were injured.
BJA invited the Texas Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, which administers the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants Program for the state, to apply for the funds. BJA is part of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs.
Funds are made available from the Department’s Fiscal Year 2018 Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance (EFLEA) grant program. The purpose of the EFLEA grant program is to help states respond to unanticipated emergencies that require law enforcement intervention, that are or threaten to become serious and that cannot be addressed with state and local resources alone.