Ten people were killed in a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas Friday morning. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez also confirmed there was a suspect in custody.
Now 10 are confirmed dead in Texas shooting — 9 students and 1 teacher, @SchneiderCNN reports.
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) May 18, 2018
According to local reports, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, ATF, and Santa Fe Police Department were assisting the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in investigating the incident.
“There [is] one person, a suspect in custody, [and a] second possible person of interest that was detained and being questioned,” Gonazalez said during a press briefing. “There are multiple fatalities that have been confirmed. The number varies, but it could be anywhere between eight to 10 fatalities at the school, including students and some adult staff as well.”
The sheriff said a Santa Fe police officer was also injured in the shooting, which took place at Santa Fe High School, and was being treated. “I don’t know the extent of his injuries,” Gonzalez said.
Later on Friday, Santa Fe ISD Chief of Police Walter Braun told reporters that “explosive items” had been found inside and outside the high school. “Because of this, everyone should be on the lookout for suspicious items and anything that looks out of place,” he said.
Police have released few details about the shooter, but identified the suspect as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a student at the high school. According to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Pagourtzis allegedly used his father’s shotgun and .38 revolver to carry out the shooting.
According to law enforcement officials, the shooting began shortly before classes began, with witnesses confirming the first reports of gunfire around 7:30 to 7:45 a.m. local time. A message on the school website Friday morning stated that “an incident occurred” at the high school involving an active shooter and that the district had initiated a lockdown in response.
Santa Fe High School issued a statement to KPRC2 around 9:20 a.m., saying, “This morning an incident occurred at the high school involving an active shooter. The district has initiated a lockdown. We will send out additional information as soon as it is available.”
According to a dispatcher at the Santa Fe Police Department who spoke with the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, police were on the scene quickly. Several Life Flight helicopters were also dispatched to the scene.
We’re currently in protect mode as a precaution because of reports of a shooting at Santa Fe HS. Doors are locked & personnel are stationed at outer doors to let people in and out. No students allowed outside of building. Field trips are postponed until we go off of protect mode.
— Dickinson ISD (@DickinsonISD) May 18, 2018
A nearby high school tweeted at 9:17 a.m. Eastern Time that they were also “currently in protect mode” as a precaution because of reports of a shooting at Santa Fe High School.
School shooting in Texas. Early reports not looking good. God bless all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2018
President Trump tweeted about the shooting a little after 11:00 a.m., saying, “Early reports not looking good.”
The Washington Post reports today that, thus far, in 2018 more people have perished at schools than have lost their lives serving in the U.S. military.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.