Shooter kills 10 at Texas school
Student suspect held; explosive devices found
Feb. 14, when a former student killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, and ignited a national debate on gun control.
The official said pipe bomb-type explosives were recovered at the school, but investigators were still going through the building Friday.
The suspect was identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, according to a second official briefed on the investigation but not authorized to comment publicly. It’s not USA TODAY’s policy to identify minors charged with crimes, but because of the magnitude of the event and the fact the suspect could be charged as an adult, USA TODAY has decided to identify the suspect.
Pagourtzis was armed with a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol, both owned by the boy’s father, Abbott said.
Pagourtzis also had a variety of explosives that appeared homemade, including a CO2 device, a Molotov cocktail and other devices, Abbott said.
Leila Butler, a student, told CNN she didn’t hear gunshots, just the fire drill that prompted the evacuation. It was not clear who pulled the fire alarm.
“We’re all really just devastated that such a tragedy could happen in our small town,” she said. Coupled with Hurricane Harvey at the start of the school year, “it’s more than we can handle.”
President Donald Trump called it a “very sad day.” He spoke with Abbott and pledged to work with the governor to provide federal assistance.
“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,” Trump said. “May God heal the injured, and may God comfort the wounded.”
Investigators were working on search warrants for two residences and a car but were hampered by concerns about the potential for more explosives, Abbott said.
The school had two police officers on duty, and one was critically wounded in the shootout, said Steven McGraw, director of the state Department of Public Safety. A state trooper also engaged the gunman, McGraw said.
Pagourtzis told investigators he wanted to commit suicide as part of the shooting, Abbott said.