9 Students, 1 Substitute Teacher Killed In Shooting At Texas High School
SANTA FE, Texas (CBSNewYork/AP) - Nine students and one substitute teacher were killed Friday when authorities say a 17-year-old classmate went on a shooting rampage inside a high school in Texas.
Gunshots rang out around 8 a.m. during first period at Santa Fe High School.
"You hear 'boom, boom, boom.' I just ran as fast as I could to the nearest forest so I could hide," student Dakota Shrader said.
"I was very, very scared. I had to have someone keep me calm," another student added.
For parents, their worst fear was realized when they received an emergency alert, then raced to the school.
"Really scary, really, really scary," said one mother.
Among those killed were Sabika Sheikh, an exchange student from Pakistan, and substitute teacher Ann Perkins.
Ten others were hurt, including sophomore Rome Shubert, shot in the back of the head. The varsity baseball player said he caught a glimpse of the student with the gun.
"Trench coat on, pistol in his hand, I want to say a shotgun across his chest," he said. "He had fired 10 or 12 shots in that room before he left."
A school resource officer who confronted the suspect is among those injured. Doctors said he was in critical condition.
"His main injury was to his arm, and an artery in his arm, and I think the bone in that arm," said Dr. David Marshall.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said there were no apparent red-flag warnings about suspected shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis. But a dig into the 17-year-old's social media did show a dark side, including pictures of weapons and a "born to kill" T-shirt.
"He gave himself up and admitted at the time he didn't have the courage to the commit suicide that he wanted to take his own life earlier," the governor said.
Pagourtzis allegedly yelled "surprise" before he began shooting, according to Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Authorities believe he got a shotgun and .38 caliber pistol from his father, who legally owned the weapons.
He was charged with capital murder, and more charges may follow. So far, investigators haven't said a word about a possible motive.
Shortly after the shooting, investigators surrounded the suspect's home. They said they found pipe bombs and pressure cookers at the school and in other areas of the community.
"Because of the threat of these explosive items, community members should be on the lookout for any suspicious items," said Walter Braun, with Santa Fe Independent School District Police.
Pagourtzis was a member of the junior varsity football team and a dance squad with a local Greek Orthodox church, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.
"I don't have any problems with him. I thought he was a cool guy. He was an interesting guy, he was very smart," said a senior who knew him from drivers' education.
This is the 22nd school shooting since the beginning of the year. Sadly, some students said they weren't surprised it happened.
"It's been happening everywhere. I've always kind of felt like eventually it was going to happen here too," one girl said.
"I feel scared to even go back," added another.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation while speaking at the White House Friday.
"This has been going on too long in our country, too many years, too many decades now," he said. "We grieve for the terrible loss of life and send our support and love to everyone affected by this absolutely horrific attack."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded by listing previous school and mass shootings with a call to "DO SOMETHING."
Survivors of the Feb. 14 shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida also took to social media to share their grief and outrage.
"My heart is so heavy for the students of Santa Fe High School. It's an all too familiar feeling no one should have to experience. I am so sorry this epidemic touched your town — Parkland will stand with you now and forever," student Jaclyn Corin said in a tweet.
She also directed her frustration at the president, writing "Our children are being MURDERED and you're treating this like a game. This is the 22nd school shooting just this year. DO SOMETHING."
In Texas, senior Logan Roberds said he was near the school's art room when he heard the fire alarm and left the building with other students. Once outside, Roberds said, he heard two loud bangs. He initially thought somebody was loudly hitting a trash can. Then came three more bangs.
"That's when the teachers told us to run," he said.
At that point, Roberds said, he told himself, "Oh my God, this is not fake. This is actually happening."
Roberds said additional gun-control measures are not needed, citing the need for defense against intruders.
"What are you going to do if some guy comes in your house and points a gun at you? You can't do nothing with a knife," he said.
Friday's assault was the deadliest in Texas since a man with a semi-automatic rifle attacked a rural church late last year, killing more than two dozen people.
In the aftermath of the Florida attack, survivors pulled all-nighters, petitioned city councils and state lawmakers, and organized protests in a grass-roots movement. Within weeks, state lawmakers adopted changes, including new weapons restrictions.
In late March, the teens spearheaded one of the largest student protest marches since Vietnam in Washington and inspired hundreds of other marches from California to Japan.
The calls for tighter gun controls have barely registered in gun-loving Texas — at least to this point.
Texas has some of the most permissive gun laws in the U.S. and just hosted the NRA's annual conference earlier this month. In the run-up to the March primary election, gun control was not a main issue with candidates of either party. Republicans did not soften their views on guns, and Democrats campaigned on a range of issues instead of zeroing in on gun violence.
Santa Fe is a city of about 13,000 residents, located 30 miles southeast of Houston.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
