Moment of silence honors victims of Santa Fe school massacre
DALLAS - There was a statewide moment of silence Monday morning to recognize those killed and wounded in the shooting at a high school south of Houston.
Gov. Greg Abbott asked people across Texas to pause at 10 a.m. in remembrance.
“The act of evil that occurred in Santa Fe has deeply touched the core of who we are as Texans. In the midst of such tragedy, we pray for the victims and those mourning in Santa Fe, while we work to ensure swift and meaningful action to protect our students in schools across our state,” Abbott said in a statement.
Ten people were killed when a 17-year-old student opened fire inside Santa Fe High School on Friday. They including eight students: Kimberly Vaughan, Shana Fisher, Angelique Ramirez, Christian Riley Garcia, Jared Black, Sabika Sheikh, Christopher Jake Stone and Aaron Kyle McLeod. Glenda Perkins and Cynthia Tisdale were substitute teachers.
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Thirteen others were wounded. At last check, one remained in critical condition. The others have all been upgraded to good condition.
GRADUATION
Graduating seniors went on with their baccalaureate service just two days after the shooting. One of the speakers was the Galveston County district attorney who will prosecute the capital murder case against the teenager suspected in the mass shooting.
He set aside his speech planned before the shooting to focus on the victims.
"When events like Friday happen we don't give up we know what that is because there is evil in this world in the name of sin," said Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady said.
One senior who spoke to FOX 4 at the ceremony talked about the long journey ahead. Two of his friends on the baseball team were shot but survived.
“I’m really thankful for God for sparing their lives and keeping them with us. My heart just goes out to the families who lost loved ones,” Tyler Martin said. “I know I’ll carry this with me the rest of my life. Our youth pastor was talking about this saying he could lie to use and say it will pass but it will always be with you and we’re just going to have to be strong with each other and pray for peace as we go on through our lives.”
The shooting changed the tone of the service and forced it to be moved from the school to a church. But no one mentioned the shooter during the service.
Classes were canceled for all Galveston County schools on Monday and Tuesday.
FIRST FUNERAL
The first funeral was also held at a mosque over the weekend for Sabika Sheikh, a 17-year-old foreign exchange student from Pakistan.
Friends said she dreamed of being a diplomat, working to empower women. She had come to the United States through a study program funded by the state department and was set to return home next month.
Her host father said she had been part of their family for the last six months and had become good friends with their daughter. Her host mother recalled the Mother’s Day gift she gave her – a prayer shawl that her family in Pakistan made.
GOVERNOR ABBOTT
Gov. Abbott met with the families affected by the shooting during a church service earlier in the day. He said this should be a catalyst for reforms.
He said lawmakers are looking at a program already being used in some schools that looks at social media platforms of students and performs a threat assessment evaluation.
The governor highlighted Lubbock ISD for screening students for mental health challenges to identify those who may be at risk of committing violent acts.
CAPITAL MURDER CHARGES
The teenager accused in the massacre may face federal as well as state charges.
Seventeen-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis is charged with capital murder in state court.
Explosives were found at the school, at his home and in a car. Some were functional. Those will likely lead to federal charges.
Pagourtzis’s lawyer said he is in solitary confinement on suicide watch.
“He appears to be very confused and not terribly communicative at this point,” said Nicholas Poehl, the suspect’s attorney.
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