UPDATE: 10 Dead And 10 Wounded At Santa Fe High School Shooting, Suspect Charged With Capital Murder

THE LATEST

Affidavit: Gunman didn’t shoot students he liked

Investigators said a 17-year-old admitted to authorities that he went on a shooting rampage at Santa Fe High School that left 10 dead, most of them students.

According to a probable cause affidavit, however, Dimitrios Pagourtzis told investigators that when he opened fire, “he did not shoot students he did like so he could have his story told.”

Pagourtzis is being held without bond at the Galveston County Jail. He is charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault against a public servant.

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Student: Gunman was wearing “Born to Kill” shirt

A sophomore at Santa Fe High School said he was in his art class when he suddenly heard three louds booms.

Zachary Muehe tells The New York Times he then “saw the kid who’s in my football class … and I saw him with a shotgun.”

Muehe said that classmate, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, was wearing a trench coat and a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Born to Kill.” The sophomore said Pagourtzis started shooting as soon as he entered the classroom.

Muehe said “it was crazy watching him shoot and then pump.” He was able to flee to another classroom through a shared ceramics closet.

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Student: “Normal day” before gunman opened fire

A student at Santa Fe High School said it was a “perfectly normal day” before shots rang out in her art classroom.

Breanna Quintanilla, a 17-year-old junior, said that when Dimitrios Pagourtzis walked into the room, he pointed at one person and said, “I’m going to kill you.” She did not identify the student who was shot.

Quintanilla also said the suspect fired in her direction as she tried to run out of the room. She said the bullet ricocheted and hit her right leg. She was still wearing a hospital bracelet on her wrist as she spoke after a Friday night vigil.

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A leader at a program for foreign exchange students and the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., say a Pakistani girl is among those killed in the Texas high school shooting.

Megan Lysaght, manager of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study Abroad program, sent a letter to other students in the program confirming that Sabika Sheikh was killed in the shooting at Santa Fe High School.

The letter says the program is devastated by Sabika’s loss and would be holding a moment of silence for her.

Lysaght declined further comment when contacted by The Associated Press and referred calls to a State Department spokesman.

The Pakistan Embassy in Washington identified Sabika as a victim of the shooting on Twitter and wrote that “our thoughts and prayers are with Sabika’s family and friends.”

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The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says he expects the Justice Department to pursue additional charges against the suspected gunman at a Texas high school.

Texas Rep. Michael McCaul told The Associated Press on Friday that federal prosecutors are looking into possible weapons of mass destruction charges against 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis.

The Santa Fe High School student was in custody on murder charges and made his initial court appearance Friday evening by video link from the Galveston County Jail. He’s accused of killing 10 people, most of them fellow students. Authorities say he also had explosive devices that were found in the school and nearby.

McCaul is a former federal prosecutor. He thinks the Justice Department “wants to ramp this up as much as they can to send a message of deterrence.”

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Family members say a substitute teacher whose passion was her children and grandchildren is among the victims of the shooting at a Texas high school.

Leia Olinde said authorities confirmed to her family that her aunt, Cynthia Tisdale, was killed in Friday morning’s shooting at Santa Fe High School.

She said Tisdale, who was in her 60s, was like a mother to her and helped her shop for wedding dresses last year.

Olinde said Tisdale was married to her husband for close to 40 years and had three children and eight grandchildren. She said she “never met a woman who loved her family so much.”

Olinde’s fiance, Eric Sanders, said “words don’t explain her lust for life and the joy she got from helping people.”

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Officials have canceled classes at schools in the Santa Fe Independent School District through at least Tuesday in the wake of a shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 dead, most of them students.

In a statement posted on the district website, officials indicated that no plan has been made for resuming classes.

Seventeen-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis is charged with capital murder in the shooting rampage. A judge denied him bond at a court hearing Friday evening.

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A judge has denied bond for the 17-year-old accused of killing 10 people and wounding 10 others at a Texas high school.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis made his initial court appearance Friday evening via closed circuit video from the Galveston County Jail. The judge also took Pagourtzis’ application for a court-appointed attorney.

Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder in the Friday morning shooting at Santa Fe High School. He did not enter a plea at the hearing.

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Reacting to the deadly shooting at the Santa Fe High School, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said school districts across Texas should consider installing metal detectors in all campus buildings.

Turner said in a statement that “the tragedy at Santa Fe High School is a painful reminder that our children are vulnerable in the very place we send them to be nurtured and educated,” and added that “expressions of support are not enough.”

Turner noted the cost of installing metal detectors may be an obstacle for some school districts and, therefore, called on “state elected leaders” to “make funding metal detectors and other security measures in schools a priority across Texas.”

“When schools open in the next school year, metal detectors should be in place to provide additional safety for our children,” underlined Turner in his statement, while adding that he will “explore further possible policy changes” in consultation with the Mayor's Commission Against Gun Violence.

Turner will announce who are the members of the commission in a few days.

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U.S. Senator John Cornyn says the 17-year-old student accused in a fatal shooting at a Texas high school used a semi-automatic pistol and a sawed-off shotgun to kill 10 people.

The Republican from Texas says investigators are still determining whether the shotgun’s shortened barrel is legal.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis (Puh-GORE-cheese) has been charged with capital murder in the Friday shooting that also wounded 10 people at Santa Fe High School near Houston.

Cornyn says the suspect had a variety of homemade explosives in his car and at the school, including pipe bombs and “pressure-cooker-like bombs” similar to those used in the Boston Marathon attack.

Cornyn says the suspect “planned on doing this for some time, he advertised his intentions but somehow slipped through the cracks.”

Multiple vigils have been organized across the state.

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A hospital spokesman says a school resource officer who was shot in the arm when he engaged a gunman during the shooting at the Santa Fe High School is undergoing surgery.

David Marshall, the University of Texas Medical Branch’s chief nursing officer, says Santa Fe school resource officer John Barnes is in stable condition Friday afternoon.

Marshall says a bullet hit Barnes’ arm, damaging the bone and a major blood vessel around his elbow. He says the blood vessel has been repaired, and that Barnes is expected to emerge from surgery within a few hours.

Marshall says Barnes was the first person to engage a student armed with two guns who opened fire at Santa Fe High School Friday morning. The shooter killed 10 people and injured 10 more. The Houston field office of the FBI detailed that nine of the fatal victims were students and one was an adult, although they didn’t specify whether the adult was a teacher.

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President Donald Trump ordered that U.S. flags fly at half-staff as a mark of “solemn respect” for those affected by the school shooting.

Flags are to be flown at half-staff until sunset on May 22. The order applies to the White House and all public buildings and grounds, military posts and naval stations and vessels, as well as at U.S. embassies, consular offices and other facilities abroad. The flag atop the White House was immediately lowered on Friday.

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A sheriff says the 17-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of at least 10 people at the Santa Fe High School is being held on a capital murder charge.

Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said in a press release that the student, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, is being held without bond in the Galveston County jail.

The Santa Fe ISD detailed in a tweet that the suspect has also been charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer.

Law enforcement can officially confirm that the SFHS suspect has been identified as student Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17. He is charged with capital murder & agg assault of a peace officer. He is in the Galveston County jail on no bond. @FBIHouston #HouNews

— Santa Fe ISD (@SantaFeISD) May 18, 2018

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said there were few prior warnings about the suspected gunman, unlike in other recent mass shootings.

Abbott commented that “unlike Parkland, unlike Sutherland Springs, there were not those types of warning signs.” The Texas governor was referring to the Feb. 14 school shooting in Florida and one in November inside a church in a town near San Antonio.

Abbott added “the red-flag warnings were either non-existent, or very imperceptible” in the case of the suspected Santa Fe shooter.

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Members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, led by State Representative Chris Turner, Chair of the Caucus, made a statement on Friday afternoon regarding the Santa Fe High School shooting.

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Friday afternoon 10 people were killed and another 10 were wounded in the shooting that happened at the Santa Fe High School and categorized the shooting as “one of the most heinous attacks” in the history of the state and the “worst disaster” in the history of the city of Santa Fe.

“We mourn with them,” Abbott underscored in reference to the parents of the victims during a press conference held around 2 p.m.

The governor noted there he has now set two goals. The first one is working on the “immediate aftermath” of the shooting and the second one is to “take action” to prevent that a “tragedy” like the one that happened in Santa Fe ever happens again.

In that sense, Abbott detailed he intends to hold round table discussions with members of the Texas Legislature, as well as with any other persons who have an interest in preventing gun violence, particularly in schools.

In regards to the investigation, the governor explained searches were being conducted because of the existence of explosive devices, including a CO2 device and a ‘Molotov cocktail’, that were found in the high school and surrounding areas.

Abbott also noted that the suspect, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, was at the Santa Fe Police Department and added that his journal indicates he wanted to perpetrate the shooting and also commit suicide.

The governor also commented there were “one or two other people of interest” who were being interviewed by investigators.

Abbott detailed that the weapons the suspect used were a shotgun and a 38 caliber revolver. According to the governor, the suspect obtained the weapons from his father.

In regards to the condition of some of the people who were being treated at area hospitals, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center discharged six of the eight patients they received. One patient was still hospitalized around 2:25 p.m. and was in fair condition, while the other patient was in critical condition.

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A law enforcement official has identified a person in custody in the Houston-area school shooting as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The official was not authorized to discuss the shooting by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP.

Authorities say eight to 10 people, mostly students, were killed in the nation’s deadliest such attack since the massacre in Florida that gave rise to a campaign by teens for gun control.

#BREAKING: Federal law enforcement source confirms suspected #SantaFeShooting suspect is Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17. #KHOU11 Investigates @JRogalskiKHOU pic.twitter.com/Q0sGUjJtP0

— Lauren Talarico (@KHOULauren) May 18, 2018

A woman who answered the phone at a number associated with the Pagourtzis family declined to speak with the AP.

She said: “Give us our time right now, thank you.”

Pagourtzis plays on the Santa Fe High School junior varsity football team, and is a member of a dance squad with a local Greek Orthodox church.

Houston Public Media’s Gail Delaughter talked to father of a Santa Fe High School student who said that the suspect had been persistently bullied:

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Listen to these interviews by Houston Public Media’s Florian Martin, reporting from Santa Fe:

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Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo also reacted to the shooting through his Twitter feed:

The men and women of @houstonpolice stand with @SantaFeISD & the entire community of Santa Fe. Our thoughts & prayers are with all involved and we feel privileged to have assisted in a small way. Please Continue to pray for all of the victims, their families and friends. https://t.co/6OHKEblUt1

— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) May 18, 2018

To the students and faculty of Santa Fe High School, we are with you. #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/3DYXOhmwsP

— March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) May 18, 2018

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The Santa Fe Independent School District provided an update via Facebook on the shooting at the Santa Fe High School:

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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner discusses the shooting at the Santa Fe High School with mayors form other Texas cities:

Mayor is joined by mayors across Texas to discuss the #SantaFeSchoolShooting https://t.co/abopg02VH0

— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) May 18, 2018

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KHOU-CBS Channel 11 is reporting that, according to law enforcement sources, 17 year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis has been identified as the suspect in the investigation of the shooting at the Santa Fe High School.

BREAKING: Santa Fe shooting suspect has been identified as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, law enforcement sources tell CBS News https://t.co/Cu8Usi6zsN #KHOU #SantaFeShooting pic.twitter.com/k2GfnVL1Sn

— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 18, 2018

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Jeff Powell, chief of the Santa Fe Police Department, said he anticipates the number of fatalities at the Santa Fe High School shooting to be fewer than 10.

Powell added during a press conference held around 11:30 a.m. that at least six people, including one police officer, have been transported to area hospitals.

The Police chief noted that a a suspect is in custody and added that “one person of interest” has been detained.

Powell also reported that explosives were found in the high school and surrounding areas and asked the public to be on the lookout for any suspicious devices.

The Police chief detailed that the FBI, the ATF and the Texas Department of Public Safety, among other law enforcement agencies, were assisting in the investigation.

Media briefing on shooting incident at @SantaFeISD high school. #HouNews https://t.co/YtIfpWjGoc

— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) May 18, 2018

Do not touch any items out of place and call 911 as we have agencies that can respond. Our thoughts and prayers are with our students, staff and our community. Please pray for our Santa Fe ISD community. #SantaFeISD

— Santa Fe ISD (@SantaFeISD) May 18, 2018

The Houston Independent School District released the following statement: “The Houston Independent School District sends condolences to the entire Santa Fe ISD community. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the students, staff, and families affected by this senseless tragedy. We offer our full support to Santa Fe ISD during this difficult time. The HISD Police Department has more than 200 officers assigned to schools and facilities across the district, and they work diligently every day to keep HISD students and staff safe. Today, the department is operating on high alert, and all available officers are on patrol. Additionally crisis counselors are available to students upon request.”

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David Marshall, Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), said in a press conference his hospital is treating three people, two males and one female.

Marshall explained one of the male patients is a middle aged man who was shot in the upper arm and who is in critical condition, although another doctor detailed he is “stable.”

Marshall also noted that the other male patient, a 16 year-old boy, was shot in one of his legs, same as the female patient.

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The Santa Fe Independent School District reported on Twitter that possible explosive devices have been located at the school and off campus. The Santa Fe ISD added that law enforcement is in the process of rendering them safe.

#UPDATE Possible explosive devices have been located at the school and off campus. Law enforcement is in the process of rendering them safe. School has been evacuated. Call 911 if you see any suspicious item. #HouNews #SantaFeISD

— Santa Fe ISD (@SantaFeISD) May 18, 2018

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Santa Fe High School student Zack Wofford said he was in class a couple doors down from where the shooting started. He says his teacher went to investigate after hearing the shots, Houston Public Media’s Florian Martin reports.

“Our teacher ran out to go see what it was, he ran back in and said he saw someone with a shotgun, so we started immediately barricading the room after we pulled the fire alarm, so we could, you know, save the other people, save as many people as we could.”

Wofford says he heard more than 20 shots.

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Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the number of fatalities at the Santa Fe High School shooting is between eight to 10 with the majority of them being students. Gonzalez said a police officer is among the injured but the extent of the officer’s injuries is unknown.

Sheriff Gonzalez also said that the two people who were detained are believed to be students.

Media briefing from @SheriffEd_HCSO https://t.co/c8HUyarBYp

— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) May 18, 2018

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Reacting to the shooting, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called for a “policy change” through his Twitter feed:

For government, next step after thoughts/prayers is policy change. That's why I've been forming a commission against #gunviolence. @HoustonTX is unrestrained in protecting our children and their communities. #SantaFeHighSchool #SantaFeShooting #SantaFeSchoolShooting

— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) May 18, 2018

The City of Houston also reacted to the shooting on Twitter:

The City of Houston is saddened by what is happening to our neighbors in #SantaFeTexas. We lift up all students and their families, teachers and law enforcement involved. #SantaFeHighSchool #SantaFeHighSchoolShooting @SantaFeISD

— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) May 18, 2018

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Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office via Twitter / @HCSOTexas

Texas Governor Greg Abbott en route to Santa Fe High School, according to officials, Houston Public Media’s Florian Martin, reports.

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At least eight people were killed at a shooting that occurred Friday morning at the Santa Fe High School, located in Galveston County, according to multiple media outlets, including the Houston Chronicle, that are citing law enforcement sources.

The Santa Fe Independent School District (SFISD) reported at 9:05 a.m. (Central Time) that the active shooter situation was “active,” but had been “contained,” although the district noted there have been “confirmed injuries.”

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet that one person was “in custody” and a second person was “detained.”

One is in custody, a second one detained. An injured police officer is being treated, the extent of his injuries are unknown.

— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) May 18, 2018

President Donald Trump tweeted about the shooting:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/997515759281680385

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued the following statement saying:

“The thoughts and prayers of all Texans are with the people of Santa Fe and those affected by today's tragic shooting. As horrific reports come out of Santa Fe High School, my office stands ready to assist local law enforcement as needed.”

Joe Gamaldi, president of the Houston Police Officers Union (HPOU), said on his Twitter feed that one officer was being transported to a hospital by life flight.

Just spoke to my counterparts who represent the Officers from Santa Fe and let them know that the @HPOUTX is here to provide any and all assistance they may need.

Please keep the officers in your prayers as one officer is being life flighted to the hospital.

— Joe Gamaldi (@JoeGamaldi) May 18, 2018

In a Facebook post, the SFISD added that law enforcement will continue to secure the building and initiate all emergency management protocols to release and move students to another location. All other campuses are operating under their regular schedules.

https://t.co/dWz6QQFn6t

— UTMB News (@utmbnews) May 18, 2018

Law enforcement responded to a high school southeast of Houston after an active shooter was reported on campus Friday, with at least one student saying she saw a man with a gun enter her classroom and start shooting as the class evacuated.

The Santa Fe ISD issued an alert around 8 a.m. saying Santa Fe High School was on lockdown. Major Douglas Hudson, from the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said units were responding to reports of shots fired, but said he had no immediate details on whether anyone had been hurt.

SFISD District Response to SFHS Active Shooter

This morning an incident occurred at the high school involving an active shooter. The district has initiated a lockdown at the high school. We will send out additional information as soon as it is available.

— Santa Fe ISD (@SantaFeISD) May 18, 2018

One student told KTRK-ABC Channel 13 in a telephone interview that a gunman came into her first-period art class and started shooting. The student said she saw one girl with blood on her leg as the class evacuated the room.

“We thought it was a fire drill at first but really, the teacher said, ‘Start running,'” the student told the television station.

The student said she didn’t get a good look at the shooter because she was running away. She said students escaped through a door at the back of the classroom.

Authorities have not yet confirmed that report. Aerial footage from the scene showed students standing in a grassy field and three life-flight helicopters landing at the school.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to a shooting at the school.

BREAKING: ATF is responding to a school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. pic.twitter.com/LXC6d8jTYZ

— ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) May 18, 2018

Santa Fe is a city of about 13,000 residents located 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

Santa Fe is a city of about 13,000 residents, located 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

In response to the shooting, Dickinson ISD tweeted it was also in protect mode as a precaution because of reports of a shooting at Santa Fe High School.

We're currently in protect mode as a precaution because of reports of a shooting at Santa Fe HS. Doors are locked & personnel are stationed at outer doors to let people in and out. No students allowed outside of building. Field trips are postponed until we go off of protect mode.

— Dickinson ISD (@DickinsonISD) May 18, 2018

Harris County Sheriff Gonzalez also tweeted units were on route to assist.

Shooting incident reported at Santa Fe High School in Galveston County. We have @HCSOTexas units enroute to assist. Large police presence, please avoid the area. #hounews #lesm

— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) May 18, 2018

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported on Twitter they are assisting, but noted this is no longer an “active shooting situation.”

We are assisting @SantaFeISD with a multiple-casualty incident at Santa Fe High School. This is no longer an active shooting situation and the injured are being treated. #hounews pic.twitter.com/m7Wuauk9jk

— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) May 18, 2018

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Santa Fe Independent School District is in Galveston County, and not in Galveston, as we reported by mistake in a previous version.

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