HOUSTON – Law enforcement officials have identified the Santa Fe High School shooter as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis.
Ten people were killed in the deadly onslaught Friday morning and another 10 were wounded, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a press conference Friday afternoon.
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
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Pagourtzis and another as-yet unidentified person are being questioned in connection with the shooting. He said both are students at the Houston-area school.
Shortly after the report of the shooting, Santa Fe Independent School District officials said law enforcement agents found explosive devices in the high school and surrounding areas adjacent to the high school.
#UPDATE 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 ISD (@SantaFeISD) May 18, 2018
Abbott said Pagourtzis had the intention to take his own life but that he “gave himself up.”
Here are some facts on what we know so far about Pagourtzis who officials identified as the Sante Fe school shooter.
Pagourtzis was wearing a trench coat with a “Born to Kill” t-shirt underneath
In an interview with KSAT.com’s sister station Click2Houston.com, Dustin Sederin, a student at the high school, said he saw Pagourtzis moments before the massacre.
Sederin told a KPRC reporter that he saw Pagourtzis wearing a trench coat, army boots, and a “Born to Kill” T-shirt.
“The kid that did it, I’ve talked to him before. He just snapped. He didn’t seem like he would ever do that,” Sederin said. “He’s been picked on by coaches before for smelling bad and stuff like that and he doesn’t talk to very many people either. He keeps to himself and he wears a trench coat every day and it’s like 90 degrees out here.”
Dustin Sederin, a student at #SantaFeHighSchool, said he saw the shooter moments before Friday’s massacre wearing a trench coat and a ‘"Born to Kill"’ T-shirt. Sederin said the boy was bullied and very quiet. pic.twitter.com/ttrJrklJHE
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) May 18, 2018
Screenshots of Pagourtzis now-deleted Facebook page show images of a long, black trench coat with Nazi symbols and a black T-shirt with the words “Born to Kill” shared on April 30.
Pagourtzis used his father’s guns in the massacre and wrote in a journal about killings
Abbott said Pagourtzis used shotgun and a .38 revolver in the shooting.
Abbott said the firearms appear to have been unlawfully obtained from Pagourtzis’ father, who legally owned them.
The governor went on to say that Pagourtzis -- who Abbott described as a “young man obsessed with violence” -- wrote in a journal to outline his plans for a shooting.
Abbott said Pagourtzis’ Facebook page could also be used to help investigators.
Friend of Pagourtzis said he was interested in guns and war-simulation video games
According to The Associated Press, Tristen Patterson, a junior at Santa Fe High School, told a reporter that he considers himself Pagourtzis’ friend.
Patterson, 16, told the reporter that Pagourtzis didn’t show signs of being bullied and that he was interested in guns and war simulation video games. However, Patterson said Pagourtzis never talked about killing people.
Patterson also said that Pagourtzis would sometimes enter the classroom “acting a little bit down or sad. A little bit sluggish … but he never talked about why.”
Pagourtzis was involved in extracurricular activities, including football
According to an AP report, Pagourtzis played on the Santa Fe High School junior varsity football team.
Pagourtzis was also a member of a dance squad with a local Greek Orthodox church.
According to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, Pagourtzis is pictured on the front page of the church’s website.