10 Killed and 10 Wounded in High School Shooting in Santa Fe, Texas
May 18, 2018
The suspected shooter arrested after a rampage that killed 10 people and wounded 10 more at Santa Fe High School this morning used guns owned by his father and had planned to kill himself, Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters in an afternoon press conference.
Via chron.com:
Wearing a trenchcoat and toting a shotgun and a .38 caliber pistol, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis admitted gunning down his classmates, according to police. He spared the students he liked so he could "have his story told," according to court documents.
The high school junior was charged with capital murder and jailed without bond.
"At the moment he's in solitary confinement," Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said after the teen's first court appearance Friday evening. "He's going to be here a while."
Earlier in the day, Abbott told reporters there were two other people of interest in the case, but Henry later said the suspect told police he'd acted alone.
"That was the statement made to one of the officers during his interrogation," Henry said.
One of the other persons of interest had "suspicious reactions," Abbott said, and officials were unsure whether that person was involved in the attack. The other person was interviewed but was not immediately identified.
Two federal search warrants are being sought to find explosive devices at two residences. Police earlier said Pagourtzis brought some devices into the school, though none of them detonated.
The shoddily-built explosives included CO2 canisters wrapped up in duct tape with no detonation mechanism, pressure cookers with nails, and an unspent Molotov cocktail, Henry said.
The teen had no previous criminal history and there were no warning signs of the attack.
The governor said he wants to convene a roundtable on mass shootings, to include people who can bring "a diversity of thoughts and concerns," he said. He wants to hear from families of victims and victims themselves, as well as those who want gun laws protected.
Abbott had prepared a policy paper he would present next week on gun safety, involving rapid background checks, resources at schools such as increased security, and ways to address mental health issues through schools.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Houston offered remarks saying a response should be focused on access to schools and retrofitting schools to protect against attacks.
The school district will be closed Monday and Tuesday, officials announced on Facebook.
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