Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is asking the Justice Department to decide whether former Santa Fe Independent School District police officer John Barnes, who was the first to confront the gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School massacre, is eligible for certain federal benefits.
Evidence Room | KPRC 2 Investigations
Barnes was shot in the arm with a shotgun bullet, leaving him bleeding to the brink of death. His arm was permanently damaged, and Barnes was forced to retire from police for medical reasons. As KPRC 2 Investigates reported, Barnes has been fighting for benefits since the shooting.
After the shooting, Barnes applied for the Federal Public Safety Officer Benefit Program. He has not yet received a response from PSOB as to whether he is eligible for benefits.
SEE ALSO: Six years after shooting, injured Santa Fe Independent School District police officer still fighting for benefits
“They’re making financial decisions and putting things off while they wait for answers about this benefit,” Burns told KPRC 2 in May.
The PSOB was established in 1976 to provide one-time monetary benefits to the families of paramedics killed in the line of duty. In 1990, the program was expanded to include paramedics seriously injured in the line of duty. According to a Legal Assistance Bureau fact sheet, more than 1,200 claims are filed with the PSOB each year.
Cruz sent a letter to Legal Aid Director Carlton Moore on Friday asking him to make a decision on Barnes’ case.
Also read: Civil trial in Santa Fe shooting case postponed as DA’s office turns over some information in criminal case
“Mr. Barnes demonstrated extraordinary courage, confronting the shooter and suffering permanent damage to his arm with a shotgun blast,” Cruz wrote. “Despite his sacrifice, Mr. Barnes faced bureaucratic obstacles and unacceptably long wait times for a decision on his PSOB application.”
The letter comes in response to legislation introduced last month by Senator Cruz and U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), who represents the 14th district of the U.S. House of Representatives, which would set a 270-day deadline for a decision on claims submitted to the PSOB.
KPRC 2 Investigates’ interview with Burns was recorded for an episode of our original documentary series, “The Evidence Room.”
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