Two special funds are being established in response to Monday’s shooting spree at Washington Navy Yard, the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region announced today. Terri Freeman, the foundation’s president, announced the programs today with DC Mayor Vince Gray.
Donations to both funds are completely tax deductible. The first program, the Navy Yard Relief Fund, will provide direct assistance to the families of the victims killed and wounded when suspected gunman Aaron Alexis opened fire. Every cent contributed to that fund will go toward the victims and their families, the Community Foundation says.
The second fund, the Safer Communities Fund, seeks to address longer-term issues of gun violence and mental health. Money raised for that program will be contributed to organizations that seek to reduce the number of gun crimes that affect the Washington area and groups that work to improve mental health treatment.
More and more information revealed about Alexis suggest that he suffered from mental illness, though he did not seek treatment. A memorandum released today by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs states that doctors at a VA hospitals in Providence, Rhode Island and Washington asked him if he had been struggling with anxiety or depression.
Alexis raised alarms with police in Newport, Rhode Island, where he was on a business trip last month, when he said he was “hearing voices” and worried that people were following him and “sending vibrations into his body” using a microwave device. Newport police alerted Navy authorities.
“We believe that as a community, we have the power and responsibility to address both the immediacy of the impact of Monday’s tragedy, and make an effort to prevent anything like this from plaguing us in the future,” Freeman said in announcing the relief funds.
The Community Foundation previously managed a $25 million fund set up to provide assistance to victims of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Relief Funds Established in Response to Navy Yard Shootings
One fund is being set up to help the families of the victims, while another will address longer-term issues of gun violence and mental health.
Two special funds are being established in response to Monday’s shooting spree at Washington Navy Yard, the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region announced today. Terri Freeman, the foundation’s president, announced the programs today with DC Mayor Vince Gray.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Rock Creek Isn’t Safe to Swim In. RFK Jr. Did It Anyway.
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2025
Jeanine Pirro: 5 Things to Know About the Fox News Host Trump Picked to Be DC’s Top Prosecutor
The Devastating Story of Washington’s Peeping-Tom Rabbi
Trump Fires Librarian of Congress, Fox News Host to Be Next Top DC Prosecutor, Possibly Rabid Actual Fox Terrorizes Arlington
Washingtonian Magazine
May Issue: 52 Perfect Saturdays
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
DC Might Be Getting a Watergate Museum
DC-Area Universities Are Offering Trump Classes This Fall
Viral DC-Area Food Truck Flavor Hive Has It in the Bag
Slugging Makes a Comeback for DC Area Commuters
More from News & Politics
Federal Agents Arrest 189 in DC Immigration Crackdown
Five New Galleries Are Opening at DC’s National Air and Space Museum in July
DOGE’s Geniuses Are Bad at Math, Ed Martin’s New Job Is to “Shame” People, and the Commanders Will Play in Spain
A New Book About Joe Biden Has Washington Chattering, the Library Wars Continue, and the Wizards Lost Out in the Draft
Meet the Duck Whisperer of DC
Rock Creek Isn’t Safe to Swim In. RFK Jr. Did It Anyway.
Humorless Scolds Fret About Trump’s Free Plane From Qatar, RFK Jr. Swam in Rock Creek, and We’ve Got 20 New Restaurants for You to Get Excited About
This Pop-Up Museum Is All About the Teenage Experience