School shooting in Texas leaves 10 dead

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WASHINGTON — Ten people are confirmed dead after a shooting Friday morning at a high school in the southeastern Texas city of Santa Fe. Three others are in a hospital and one school resource officer was injured, authorities said.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17 (Facebook)

Nine students and one teacher died in the shooting, police said.

Police have a suspect in custody who is believed to have fired several shots inside Santa Fe High School, assistant principal Cris Richardson told reporters near the school.”Police said the gunman entered an art class and opened fire.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a second person has been arrested.

Pipe bombs and pressure cookers were found at the scene, police said. The Santa Fe Independent School District said in a statement that authorities are in the process of deactivating the explosive devices.

Seventeen-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis has been identified as the gunman, authorities said.

President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and congressional Republicans sent prayers and offered support.

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Democrats offered prayers and reiterated support for new gun-control legislation.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) issued an executive order that all state flags be lowered to half staff in memory of those slain.

“The devastating act sustained by the Santa Fe High School community today has deeply touched the core of who we are as caring people. As such, it is fitting that flags should be lowered to half-staff in memory of those who lost their lives,” Abbott said in a statement.

“Therefore, pursuant to Chapter 3100 of the Texas Government Code, I direct the Texas flag be immediately lowered to half-staff statewide on Friday, May 18, 2018, in memory of those who lost their lives. Flags should remain at half-staff through sunset on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.”

The shooting was the third at a U.S. school in eight days.

On Wednesday, a school resource officer in Illinois shot and wounded a former student who fired a gun near a graduation rehearsal at Dixon High School, authorities said. Dixon Police Officer Mark Dallas confronted the suspect, Matthew Milby, 19, who police say had fired shots at the officer. Dallas fired back, wounding Milby, according to police. The officer was not injured. Dallas is being hailed a hero for stopping the gunman. Pence praised the officer Thursday on Twitter.

Milby faces three charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and is being held on $2 million bail. A judge on Friday refused a request by Millby’s defense attorney to lower the bail amount.

Last Friday a 14-year-old boy was taken into custody after going to his former high school in Palmdale, Calif., and allegedly shooting a semiautomatic rifle just before classes started, authorities said. One person was wounded. The suspect is accused of attempted murder.

The senior class at Santa Fe High School in Texas was scheduled to graduate on Sunday.

This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News