'Pay czar' vows quick action on Aurora shooting funds

Kenneth Feinberg, the experienced "pay czar" who has helped distribute donations to victims of 9/11 and the BP oil spill, says he hopes to pay out all $5 million in donations to victims of the Aurora, Colo., theater shooting by Thanksgiving, KUSA-TV reports.

The Community First Foundation has collected more than $5 million in donations since a gunman opened fire on the theater July 20, killing 12 people and injuring 58.

Feinberg says he was asked to get involved by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and is offering his services free of charge.

"We're moving fast," he told a group of victims and their families Thursday, according toThe Denver Post. "After Nov. 15, we are done. We shut down the fund. The goal is to get all the money out the door to you before Thanksgiving. We have absolutely no interest in what you do with the money."

Feinberg says that the families of the 12 killed and those "horribly injured" will each get around $175,000 each, or about 75% of the fund, the Post reports.

Feinberg says he agrees with the need for a full and open audit of all funds, but cautions that not everyone who suffered in the Aurora tragedy will get money, KUSA-TV reports.

"Priority must be given to families who confront financial uncertainty," he says. "Do we have enough money to also compensate those suffering mental trauma, because they were in the theaters? There's just not enough money for everyone."