At a Texas high school on Friday nine students and one teacher were killed when a gunman entered the school armed with two guns and improvised explosives.
According to The New York Times, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said that the shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student at Santa Fe High School, has been charged with capital murder following the incident. He is being held without bond and made his first court appearance on Friday evening.
At least two other people of interest have also been detained in the investigation into the attack in Santa Fe, not far outside Houston.
A .38 revolver and a shotgun that the shooter acquired from his father were used in the shooting, which sent 10 others to area hospitals with mostly gunshot wounds. A raid of Pagourtzis’s home and his vehicle conducted by the police found additional devices, including a Molotov cocktail.
The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott said that the suspect turned himself over to police after originally planning to commit suicide during the attack. The attack, the governor added, was “one of the most heinous attacks that we’ve ever seen in the history of Texas schools.”
He also offered “prayers of comfort” to the victims’ families and ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz likewise released a statement following the shooting, thanking first responders for their efforts to save lives.
“Heidi and I are keeping all the students and faculty at Santa Fe High School in our prayers this morning, along with all first responders on the scene. Please be safe and heed warnings from local officials,” he said.
During an event at the White House on Friday, shortly after the shooting occurred, President Donald Trump said it was “absolutely horrific.”
“This has been going on too long in our country, too many years, too many decades now,” Trump said. “My administration is determined to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools and to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and to others,” he added.
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