Santa Fe Strong Fund to distribute nearly $1.2 million in donations to victims of high school shooting

SANTA FE, Texas -- The victims and survivors of the Santa Fe High School shooting will get a share of $1,283,615 that was donated to the Santa Fe Strong Fund.

A 17-year-old student opened fire at the school on May 18, killing eight students and two teachers. Thirteen others were injured during the shooting.

Families of the deceased, those wounded by gunfire, and others who were in the art labs at the time of the shooting were all eligible for benefits.

The gifts range from $5,000 for those present in the art labs to $71,000 for families of those who were killed.

Santa Fe High School Shooting Victims: Here's what we know

Those wounded by gunshots fell into three categories. The eight people treated as outpatients received $19,826.93 per person. The three victims who spent one to eight nights in a hospital were given $40,000 each. The three victims who were hospitalized for more than nine nights each received $60,000.

"Nearly $1.3 million seems like a lot of money until you start dividing it up among a large group of people whose lives will never be the same," said Jeff Dion, executive director of the National Compassion Fund. "The Santa Fe community was well represented by individuals on the committee who took very seriously their obligation to distribute these funds in a fair, transparent, and victim-centered manner. They thoughtfully considered every angle and made the difficult decisions which reflected the best interests of victims, the values of this community, and the intent of the donors."

The payments will be given out over the next few weeks.