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As it happenedended1526698191

Texas shooting: Suspect Dimitrios Pagourtzis charged as 10 are killed and explosive devices found at high school - as it happened

Officials say the gunman used his father's firearms and later talked about wanting to save students he liked so they could 'tell his story'

Clark Mindock
New York
,Andrew Buncombe,Emily Shugerman
Friday 18 May 2018 22:06 BST
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Sheriff Ed Gonzalez Santa Fe High School shooting

Ten people were killed after a gunman believed to be a student opened fire at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, in the latest spasm of gun violence in a country still shaken by the massacre at a Florida high school in February.

Authorities quickly named 17-year-old student Dimitrios Pagourtzis as their suspect. Later in the day he was charged with capital murder - for which he did not enter a plea - and was denied bond. He was being held in solitary confinement.

Scenes of grief and horror streamed out of the small community less than an hour's drive from Houston. Stunned and weeping teenagers tried to piece together the mayhem they had experienced. Schools were set to be closed for the start of the following week, with the FBI saying Santa Fe High School and the surrounding area would remain a closed crime scene “for some time”.

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Authorities said the assailant appeared to have obtained his weapons - a shotgun and a revolver - from his father, who possessed them legally. Explosive devices were found both at the school and off campus, Mr Gonzalez said.

Court documents said the suspect admitted to authorities having carried out the shooting “with the intent of killing people” and said he spared the lives of students he liked so that “he could have his story told“.

Writings in the suspect's journals that indicated he wanted to take his own life, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Abbott added.

Some fellow students described him as quiet. He also played on the school's American football team.

Donald Trump issues statement after Santa Fe High School shooting

President Donald Trump called the shooting heartbreaking and said that federal and local authorities were coordinating in the wake of the gun attack.

“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,” Mr Trump said at the White House.

As the day unfolded, Democratic elected officials said the latest shooting again proved the need for tougher gun laws. They were joined by teenage survivors of the Florida shooting who have turned into vocal fun control advocates.

While Mr Abbott said he intended to convene a series of public meetings to find “solutions” that would prevent more shootings, he did not elaborate on details.

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The suspected shooter could face more charges, a Texas Congress member said.

Federal prosecutors are mulling bringing charges related to weapons of mass destruction, Rep Michael McFaul told the Associated Press, saying the Department of Justice is keen to "ramp this up as much as they can to send a message of deterrence."

Prosecutors have already charged the assailant with capital murder; he has not entered a plea.

Kristin Hugo19 May 2018 02:43
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Kristin Hugo19 May 2018 03:06
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Kristin Hugo19 May 2018 03:28
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Alright folks, that's all from us here at the Independent tonight. Thanks for reading, and please stick with us as we continue bringing you news from the US and beyond.

Kristin Hugo19 May 2018 03:47

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