On the date of May 18, 2018, a school shooting had occurred at Santa Fe High School in the city of Santa Fe, Texas, United States. 10 people, 8 being students, and 2 being teachers/staff were killed, along with 13 others injured, lasting about 25 minutes before the shooter was apprehended. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student, perpetrated the attack and was taken into custody. Dimitrios claimed to carry out the shooting to "kill classmates he hated, and spare those he liked" so he could have his story told, similar to the Columbine shooters. He was (and currently still, is) charged with capital murder of multiple people and aggravated assault against a public servant; and held in custody without bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years to life. Lets delve into this school shooting.

Perpetrator

Dimitrios Pagourtzis (born October 12, 2000-Alive), was a Greek American 17-year-old student at the time of the school shooting, now 23 in 2024. Before the shooting, his father worked at a marine repair company while his mother worked at a hospital. Despite the violence he committed on the day of May 18, 2018, he had been involved in wholesome, heart-warming activities prior. He was in his school dance club, a member of his local Greek Orthodox Church in Santa Fe, and even played for his school's sport team, the Santa Fe Indians Football Team for his Sophomore years during 2015-2016. His father worked at North American Marine, INC, and he supposedly owns it, specializing in naval repair and clean-ups. His mother, Rosemarie K Pagourtzis is listed in a Texas Tribune salaries database as Administrative Associate in Pediatric Endocrinology, for The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. However, this is no reason to justify his attack. He had a Facebook account (what a teenage boomer) in which he made edgy posts, some of which, include, a satanic occult symbol accompanied with the caption "Dangerous Days". He also posted an image of a trench coat coated in multiple pins and other insignia/symbols which he had claimed to represent "bravery", an Iron Cross, a shirt with the text "BORN TO KILL" and a Communist Hammer and Sickle to represent his "rebellion". He would also post firearms on his FB page as well.

Facebook profile with the "BORN TO KILL" shirt post, along with a few smaller pictures of himself, his trench coat and his now deleted YouTube channel, under the name "Comma Kazi", a combination of the words "Communist/Commie" and "Kamikaze"

His trench coat, with a number from insignia from nations that served in World War 2, such as Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and Imperial Japan. You can read how he symbolizes these pieces. Another school shooter that wore a trench coat, Dylan Klebold, during the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999, may have drawn inspiration to that. We'll get to that in a few.

"Complete" bland FB profile, showcasing a shooting game/simulator, a frog meme, and one of his parents' firearms.

A fully post of his parent's firearm, captioned "hey fuckers" showcasing a handgun that I honestly don't know, but perhaps a Sig Sauer of some sort (Gun nuts, please help me on this one), a pocket knife, and (flashlight)? The comments were sent after the shooting, with one user named "kleboldoom", perhaps referencing Dylan Klebold, one of the shooters in the Columbine High School Massacrew, along with Eric Harris, which both liked to play the hit 90's computer game "Doom" at the time.

Mobile view of Pagourtzi's account, a Satanic background capturing his banner.

According to one witness, Pagourtzi had underwent bullying not only by fellow classmates, but even gym coaches and harassment by some teachers as well. However, when met with these allegations after the shooting, the school denied the allegations of bullying by staff members. One of his former teachers described him as "quiet, but he wasn't quiet in a creepy way",and said that he had never seen him draw or write anything in his class journal that she found suspicious or unusual, which was a silent red flag. His FB posts were suspicious, but not a glowing-red suspicious. Pagourtzis was on the honor roll, and he played on the school football team, as I stated earlier in the introduction.

Pagourtzi's online journal, smartphone, and notepad showed his homicidal and suicidal tendencies to commit the shooting, especially how he wanted to kill himself after he was finished, similar to Columbine as well. He planned on doing this for some time, about a few months. Classmates recounted how at a water park the day before the shooting Pagourtzis did not show any signs of his plans and seemed friendly and funny, which is odd. the DAY BEFORE the shooting, he acts all jolly and whatnot. This guy had a clean slate. No former contact w/ law enforcement, little-to-none red flags, no behavioral issues, etc... Weird, eh?

The Shooting

Before the shooting started, let me break down what the art room in Santa Fe High School looked like. It was 4 rooms with an interconnecting interior hallway, connecting all 4 rooms together. At the time, the high school had no metal detectors or scanning equipment. The only form of security they had was a school safety officer/police officer, who was unarmed. With this drawback, the Pagourtzis snuck in a non-functioning explosive device, .38 Special Snub Nose revolver (a revolver w/ a short barrel) and a Remington 870 .410 bore shotgun in his trench coat he wore during the shooting, similar to the Columbine High School Shooters (Im not even joking.)

At the Art Complex of the building, Pagourtzis walked in there Friday morning, 7:32 AM of May 18, 2019, and began shooting students and teachers. At the same time, multiple police officers and departments respond to Santa fe high School (That is some quiiick response time!) In the meantime, here are some eyewitness and first-hand accounts of what happened, by students and Teachers.

Zachary Muehe, a sophomore at Santa Fe High school, was in art class when he heard three loud consecutive "booms" and "clicking" noises, as he would describe it. From a distance, he recognized Pagourtzis holding a Remington 870 shotgun shooting at and below tables, and into the art complex hallway. Muehe quickly ducked behind a table. He describes the shrapnel and wood and plastic whizzing by his face as he shot, pumped, and shot. After about 30 seconds of that experience, he ran away from the cplex, claiming to see "students on the floor of the hallway, clucthing to themselves as if they were wounded" When the New York Times asked him how far he was away from the shooter, Muehe responded with about 12 feet, and "It was crazy watching him shoot and then pump. I remember seeing the shrapnel from the tables, whatever he hit. I remember seeing the shrapnel go past my face,"

As more officers entered and took tactical positions to clear out the school, students poured out of the campus. More officers poured into the campus — from Santa Fe Police, Texas Rangers, ATF, and a few other agencies and departments. It wasn't until 8:02 a.m, 30 minutes after the shooting started, that Pagourtzis exited one of the art classrooms and surrendered, authorities wrote in a court filing. Officials claimed he surrendered in a way where he tripped on the ground, while dropping the shotgun, and proceeding to put his hands on his head

Authorities recovered a couple of non-functioning explosive devices at the school and "several" in Pagourtzis' car and home, McCaul said, and they've been sent for testing to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, after which, a few weeks, have been proven false.

Images (Only 1 video)

https://www.khou.com/embeds/video/responsive/285-8134015/iframe

ATF Investigating school parking lot

Ann Perkin's body covered up in a body bag

Good Samaritan gives SWAT Officer responding to Santa Fe High School (In Background) a water bottle

Medical Airlift/Helicopter lands at school campus

SWAT officer w/ Coke in his hand across the Santa Fe Campus

Police response to the front of the school

ATF and Law Enforcement agents stand outside Pagourtzi's home.

Aftermath

Pagourtzi's Court Trial

The Santa Fe High School shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, was charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault of a public servant in connection with the mass shooting that occurred on May 18, 2018. However, Pagourtzis has been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial for his hearing, and due to the anonymity, it has yet to be disclosed. In the latest order, Judge Lonnie Cox determined Pagourtzis is “suffering severe and abnormal mental, emotional, or physical distress,” and is “not able to make a rational and informed decision” He has been committed to a state-run mental health institution for restorative treatment since November 2019. His mental condition has reportedly deteriorated during his time in the hospital. A judge in Galveston County has ordered that he remains in the hospital for up to 12 more months, which, to this day, this whereabouts are unknown.

(Temporary) Memorial to the 10 students killed, made 2 days after.

10 people, 8 being students, and 2 staff members, were killed in the attack. and 13 were injured. The school was closed for a few daysafter and remained a crime scene until all measures were clear. There were homemade bombs and pressure cookers found in the art complexes. As a result of the shooting, the Santa Fe School district had plans to renovate the northwest area of the campus, including sealing off the art rooms in which the shooting occurred as well as the adjacent hallway connecting it. A new hallway and counselor's office will be installed. The art classrooms and art teacher offices were to be relocated.

Because of the shooter being able to sneak in firearms and pressure-cooking explosives, the district decided to install a bulletproof security area at the main entrance, which included adding metal detectors, as well as adding panic buttons, locks, and alarm systems in classrooms. After receiving funds from the local public, the school district made a permanent memorial listing the names of those who had passed in black font with a gold border called "The Unfillable Chair" and phrases such as "In death we live you still" and "In life we loved you dearly" and "In our hearts, you hold a place".

Rest in Peace to all involved and their loved ones.