Gov. Ron DeSantis said compensation could be coming from Saudi Arabia for families of victims of a December shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola. But due to diplomatic necessities, there might not be any high-profile announcement, he said. DeSantis said Wednesday he’s talked to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the need for compensation for families in the Dec. 6 shooting.
“Both were mindful of what I said, and I think both understood that it would be appropriate,†DeSantis said while at the University of West Florida announcing an $8 million initiative to help veterans in the transition process from active duty.
“Stay tuned on that. That’s something we’re working on,†DeSantis said of the compensation effort. “There’s diplomacy involved. There is a lot of other things involved. I think it probably needs to be handled in certain ways. We’ve been very clear as to our view on that, and I think the families of these victims deserve compensation.â€
Mohammed Alshamrani, a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force, was a pilot trainee in Pensacola when he killed three U.S. Navy members and wounded eight people before being fatally shot by local authorities.
In a news conference on the day of the shooting, DeSantis, a former Navy attorney, said the Saudi government “needs to make things better†for the victims. “I think they are going to owe a debt here, given that this is one of their individuals,†DeSantis said on Dec. 6.
