On Friday morning, there was a shooting at Santa Fe High School that killed 10 people and wounded 13 others. The suspect has been identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis who was a student at the school. He admitted to the crime and was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault.
During the shootout
The fire alarms in the school went off at 7:45 AM when Pagourtzis went into an art class and started to shoot people. A student in the art class named Isabelle Laymance had been drawing when she first heard the gunshots -- as stated in the Washington Post.
Laymance and seven other students in the class went into a supply closet, which was connected to another classroom. The gunman knew that kids were hiding in the closet and targeted them.
According to the Washington Post, the police were called about three times while the shooting was taking place. When police got to the school, Pagourtzis was still shooting, cursing and yelling at people. At one point, he shot a police officer who tried to approach him. Eventually, officers were able to restrain him and put him in handcuffs.
There were two different guns used in the shooting at the school -- a shotgun and a .38 revolver. These weapons were found to have been legally owned by his father. In addition, there were explosive devices that were found at the school and at two different locations.
It was confirmed that a Molotov cocktail and a CO2 device were found, according to AJC.
There are two other people being questioned in connection to the shooting. It is unclear whether or not they played a role.
Students at the high school are being allowed to go back into the school to pick up their cars and belongings that were left behind after the shooting.
Condolences
Superintendent Leigh Wall stated in a letter to parents that the community has suffered a tragedy and that everyone is grieving this awful event.
It was not until Saturday that authorities were able to identify the victims that were killed. According to AJC, the victims include teachers Glenda Perkins and Cynthia Tisdale, and students Jared Black, Shana Fisher, Christian Riley Garcia, Aaron Kyle McLeod, Angelique Ramirez, Sabika Sheikh, Christopher Jake Stone, and Kimberly Vaughan.
President Trump commented on the shooting, stating that these school shootings have been going on too long in this country. In addition, Trump offered his condolences to those who were affected by the shooting.
Houston Texans football player J.J Watt is willing to cover all funeral costs for the victims that were killed in the Santa Fe shooting. In addition, Police Chief Art Acevedo wrote a Facebook post expressing his frustration over the fact that there has not been much action in terms of gun control legislation.
Pagourtzis’ family released a statement on Saturday, saying that they were shocked to hear the news, and shocked that their son was the shooter.
