Albertville Survivors Fund details plans to distribute gifts to Mueller shooting victims

Donna Thornton, The Gadsden Times
·4 min read

When tragedy strikes a community, National Compassion Fund Executive Director Jeffery Dion said, there is an impulse to help. The fund allows people in local communities, or across the country, to make donations to support those affected.

Dion and members of a local steering committee were in Boaz last week to meet with people affected by the June 15 shooting at the Mueller plant in Albertville —‪ to talk to them about how they can apply for funds from the Albertville Survivors Fund, set up through NCF, to help people forever changed by the incident.

At a meeting at Snead State Community College Tuesday, National Compassion Fund Executive Director Jeffery Dion spoke to those in the auditorium as others participate via Zoom about the Albertville Survivors Fund for victims of the June 15 shootings at the Mueller plant.
At a meeting at Snead State Community College Tuesday, National Compassion Fund Executive Director Jeffery Dion spoke to those in the auditorium as others participate via Zoom about the Albertville Survivors Fund for victims of the June 15 shootings at the Mueller plant.

In the days after an employee opened fire on co-workers at the plant, killing two people and seriously injuring two others, Mueller contacted NCF about establishing a fund. Mueller Water Products donated $100,000, and the fund was open for others to donate as well. As of last week, the fund had $260,000.

Donations will be accepted through Nov. 15; and those who want to apply for funds must do so by Nov. 30. Dion said the plan is to have funds distributions being Dec. 20.

Dion explained 100% of the money donated will go to families.

At the meeting Tuesday night on the Snead State Community College campus, a few survivors, who lost a loved one in the shooting, were in the auditorium, and about three other survivors participated by Zoom. They were offered instructions in how to go online and apply for funds.

When the father of one of those killed in the shooting expressed concerns about the process, ("I'm computer illiterate," he said), Dion and others assured him that they would provide any help he or others needed.

The steering committee, which includes Snead State President Joe Whitmore and First Baptist of Boaz Pastor Jonathan Lancaster, as well as experts in trauma disorders, a survivor of a 2015 shooting in Chattanooga and his wife, and Mueller's senior director of marketing and communications, already has been meeting to establish a proposed protocol for distributing funds.

Workplace shooting: What happened at the Albertville Mueller plant

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At Tuesday's meeting, Dion said the committee wanted to hear any ideas or concerns people affected by the incident had with the proposed protocol. Comments were invited online as well.

The protocol establishes categories based how people were affected by the shooting.

Category 1 is those who lost an immediate family member as a result of the Albertville attack —‪ a parent, spouse, legal partner or child of an employee killed. Only one gift will be provided to a victim's family, and the gifts on behalf of the deceased will be the most valuable gifts.

Michael "Lee" Dobbins and David Lee Horton, both of Boaz, died in the plant shooting. Horton joined Mueller in 2016 and was a foundry helper. Dobbins had worked at the plant since November 2020. he was a foundry utility painter.

Category 2 is for those physically injured in the shooting. Gifts given to those in this category may differ based on the severity of physical harm they suffered. Dion mentioned length of hospital stay a factor.

Casey Sampson, of Albertville, had worked at Mueller since 2018, and was a foundry helper. He was seriously injured in the shooting and continues to receive treatment.

Isaac Byrd of Albertville joined Mueller in February 2021 and worked as a foundry painter. He was shot during the attack, suffering serious injuries, and continues to undergo treatment.

Police blocked access to the Mueller plant Tuesday morning, after two employees were killed and two seriously injured, shot by a fellow employee.
Police blocked access to the Mueller plant Tuesday morning, after two employees were killed and two seriously injured, shot by a fellow employee.

Category 3 is for individuals who experienced psychological trauma. Dion explained a higher level of benefit may go to people more directly affected —‪ those who discovered victims, rendered direct aid or assistance to them, or are official in-house Mueller first responders.

Dion, who has been involved in many funds administered by the NCF, said the impact on someone who was present in the plant when a shooting occurred is not expected to be as great as the impact on someone who saw a coworker shot in front of them.

The amount of money donated is the amount that will be given to those eligible for funds. The number of applicants and their category will determine amounts they receive.

"This is a gift," Dion said.

No one has a legal claim or entitlement to the donated funds, but fund administrators are determined to distribute donations in a way that reflects the community's values.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Mueller plant shooting victims can seek gifts from survivors fund