The school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas resulted in the deaths of nine students and one teacher on Friday when the shooter opened fire during first period.
Dimitris Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student, was arrested shortly after and booked by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Department for Capital murder. He admitted to committing the crime later Friday afternoon to the police in an affidavit of probably cause.
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Pagourtzis’ family released a statement on the shooting through a law firm on Saturday.
“We extend our most heartfelt prayers and condolences to all of the victims. We also wish to thank all the first responders from all over Texas that assisted in rendering aid and support,” the statement read. “We are as shocked and confused as anyone else by these events that occurred. We are gratified by the public comments made by other Santa Fe High School students that show Dimitri as we know him: a smart, quiet, sweet boy. While we remain mostly in the dark about the specifics of yesterday’s tragedy, what we have learned from media reports seems incompatible with the boy we love.”
The statement continued: “We share the public’s hunger for answers as to why this happened, and will await the outcome of the investigation before speaking about these events. We have been and will continue to cooperate with the authorities conducting the investigation, and ask for the public’s patience while it moves forward. We ask the public to please extend privacy, both to the victims and to our own family, as all of us try process these events, and begin the healing process.”
The shooting took place on the morning of May 18 during the school day’s first period. Texas Gov. Greb Abbott revealed in a press conference that Pagourtzis used a .38 revolver and a shotgun, both of which were legally owned by his father.
“Neither of these weapons were owned or legally possessed by the shooter,” Abbott said, reports CNN. “I have no information if the father was aware the son had taken these weapons.”
In more disturbing news, police investigated his personal journal and cell phone following the arrest and came to the conclusion that Pagourtzis intended to take his own life after the shooting.
“We also know information already that the shooter has information contained in journals on his computer and his cell phone that he said that not only did he want to commit the shooting, but he wanted to commit suicide after the shooting,” Abbott told reporters.
The governor continued, “As you probably know, he gave himself up and admitted at the time he didn’t have the courage to commit the suicide, that he wanted to take his own life earlier.”
