Local funeral home working to cover funeral cost for shooting victims

La Paloma Funeral Services to coordinate no matter location

Ryan Bowen, owner of La Paloma Funeral Services, is working with local authorities to ensure funeral costs for victims of the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas are covered, no matter their home state or country.

After receiving calls from colleagues in his industry, Bowen, a Las Vegas native, decided to pool resources to assist families in making arrangements, which can include receiving their loved one from the coroner’s office, storage and care until services are arranged, cremation, burial, funeral services and transportation and assistance with filing the death certificate, among others.

La Paloma is coordinating its efforts with Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak to ensure there is no duplication of efforts and the maximum amount of help directly reaches families. Sisolak has indicated the Las Vegas Victims Fund, which he set up with Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo, will be a source of funding for funeral costs. In addition, La Paloma is setting up a separate GoFundMe account designated specifically to cover the cost of funeral services.

“The commissioner and sheriff moved very quickly to set up an assistance account, and they identified a significant number of needs,” Bowen said. “We simply want to help assure that sufficient funds are generated to cover all costs.”

Families will be assisted regardless of which funeral home they utilize for services.

“We recognize there are victims from across the United States and the world,” Bowen said. “Once the family has identified a funeral service provider in Nevada or any other state of location, they can contact us to access the funding. These circumstances are tragic enough without the families having the additional burden of bearing the cost of these services.”

In addition, Simple Cremation, a sister company of La Paloma, announced it will provide cremation services for victims of the shooting at no cost to their families or the fund.

A family owned business, La Paloma Funeral Services has one location in Southern Nevada and two in Northern Nevada.  For additional information, visit the website at lapalomafuneralservices.com or by calling 702-732-7070.