Las Vegas Shooting Causes Spike In Victims Of Crime Claims

LAS VEGAS, NV - The number of claims reported by Nevada Victims of Crime following the Oct. 1 shooting on the Las Vegas Strip nearly doubled the entire total received in all of 2016, according to a report on Tuesday from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The report indicates that 4,013 claims have been made since the Las Vegas shooting. In 2016,the program approved 2,392 claims. It aims to assist victims of crime with funeral expenses, medical bills, and other services required by victims such as counseling. According to Nicole Raz of the Review-Journal, program director Rebecca Salazar said the fund currently has $11.4 million in it.

Approximately 22,000 people were in attendance at the concert when a gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay. The over 4,000 claims exceed the more than 500 injured and 58 deceased in the shooting.

In November, a town hall in Las Vegas was held to discuss how money donated to victims through a GoFundMe page and other streams should be best distributed. The initial draft protocol dictated that only families of the deceased and those wounded would be available to receive those funds.

To read the entire story and the process of how the money will be distributed to the victims, read Raz's entire story here: http://voc.nv.gov/VOC/1October....

For more information about the program, or how to apply for funds, visit the following link: http://voc.nv.gov/VOC/1October....

Image via John Locher/Associated Press