COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Less than two months after a gunman killed 10 people at a Boulder grocery store, another shooter killed six people and himself at a birthday party in Colorado Springs.
Police say the mass shooting, which occurred May 9, was likely fueled by domestic violence. Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers believes it was the deadliest shooting in the city’s 150-year history. Some kids were at the scene of the shooting. No children died, but some lost both of their parents.
Now, the Colorado Healing Fund (CHF) is accepting donations to give to the survivors, victim’s families, and the community as a whole.
The six victims of the shooting are:
- Jose Gutierrez, 21
- Jose Ibarra, 26
- Sandra Ibarra-Perez, 28
- Melvin Perez, 30
- Mayra Ibarra De Perez, 33
- Joana Cruz, 52
“This is the second time the Colorado Healing Fund has been activated in less than two months, which is heartbreaking and hard to comprehend,” CHF Executive Director Jordan Finegan said in a statement.
People can leave donations at this link. In-person donations are also accepted at FirstBank locations in Colorado.
CHF said it “is partnering with state and local victim assistance organizations to determine how best to support the individuals and families after the shooting.”
“With tragedies like this where parents are taken from their children too soon, we must think of how we can continue to support the children years from now, as they continue to grow,” said Frank DeAngelis, former principal at Columbine High School who now works with CHF. “As I said all too recently, recovery from a mass shooting is a marathon, not a sprint. I’m so thankful that CHF can help address the emotional needs that come out of a tragedy like this.”
Kyle Cooke is the Digital Media Manager for Rocky Mountain PBS. You can contact him by emailing kylecooke@rmpbs.org or on Twitter at @KyleACooke.