10 Confirmed Dead, 10 Wounded: The Latest on the Santa Fe, Texas School Shooting
Ten people were killed and 10 others wounded Friday in a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas — an incident Gov. Greg Abbott called “one of the most heinous attacks that we’ve ever seen in the history of Texas schools.”
The suspect, who is now in custody, used a shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver that he took from his father, Abbott said.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Here’s what we know so far:
Ten people were killed in the Santa Fe shooting
AP
Authorities said 10 people — mostly students — were killed in the shooting on Friday morning, and 10 more were wounded. Students at Santa Fe High School, which is located about 35 miles southeast of Houston, told local TV stations that the gunman opened fire in an art class during first period.
University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston said doctors were treating three patients from the shooting, two adults and one minor. One patient, retired Houston police officer John Barnes, is in critical condition after being shot in the arm while engaging the gunman. Another adult, a woman, was wounded in the leg and was being operated on. The minor had a gunshot wound to the leg, doctors said.
Doctors at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center said eight patients, all students, were treated there. Six were released. Two remain in the hospital. One is in critical condition and the other is in fair condition.
Retired HPD SPO John Barnes, 49, was sworn in in May 1995 & retired Jan 2018. He began his career at SW Patrol and began working in investigations in 2005. John is known for his tireless work in Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. twitter.com/artacevedo/sta…
A suspect has been taken into custody
This photo provided by the Galveston County Sheriff's Office shows Dimitrios Pagourtzis, who law enforcement officials took into custody, and identified as the suspect in the deadly school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, near Houston, on May 18, 2018
Galveston County Sheriff's Office—AP/Shutterstock
A suspect, believed to be a student, has been taken into custody. Abbott said the suspect turned himself in to authorities. The suspected shooter has been identified as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, who was booked into the Galveston County Jail on Friday, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said.
Two more people are currently being interviewed as persons of interest in the shooting.
Abbott said the shooter, who had no criminal history, used a shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver that were obtained from his father. “There simply were not the same type of warning signs that we’ve seen in so many other shootings,” Abbott said, noting that the suspect posted a picture on his Facebook page of a T-shirt that said, “Born to Kill.”
Information obtained from the suspect’s journals, computer and cell phone indicate that he planned to carry out the mass shooting and then commit suicide, Abbott said.
Officials at a press briefing on Friday afternoon praised law enforcement officers who engaged the shooter.
“We know that because they were willing to run into that building and engage him right now that other lives could be saved,” said Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “That’s absolutely important.”
Explosive devices were found at Santa Fe High School
The Santa Fe school district said police bomb squads were working to dispose of explosive devices found in the high school, whose roughly 1,400 students have been evacuated.
“There have been explosive devices found in the high school and surrounding areas adjacent to the high school. Because of the threat of explosive items, community members should be on the look-out for suspicious packages and anything that looks out of place,” Santa Fe Independent School District said in an update hours after the shooting. “Do not touch any items out of place and call 911 as we have agencies that can respond.” - Time
Comments
Post a Comment