Where things stand now in the Santa Fe school shooting case

A shackled Dimitrios Pagourtzis is walked into a courtroom in Galveston County, Texas, on Feb. 25, 2019. (KPRC)

SANTA FE, Texas – Saturday marks a year since a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School, killing 10 people and injuring 13 others.

Within the span of 25 minutes, the shooter’s rampage killed eight students and two teachers before he surrendered to authorities who had descended on the school.

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Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, has been charged in connection with the massacre.

Here’s a look at how Pagourtzis’ case has unfolded and where it stands now.

Indictment

On Aug. 9, 2018, Pagourtzis was indicted on a charge of capital murder of multiple persons in connection with the deaths of Shana Fisher, Christian Riley Garcia, Aaron Kyle McLeod, Glenda Ann Perkins, Angelique Ramirez, Sabika Sheikh, Christopher Stone, Cynthia Tisdale, Kimberly Vaughan and Jared Black.

He is also charged with aggravated assault on a public servant in connection with the shooting that injured Santa Fe Independent School District Police Officer John Barnes.

Change of venue

Pagourtzis’ attorney filed a motion Jan. 8, asking for his client’s trial to be moved out of Galveston County. He said the amount of publicity surrounding the shooting would make it impossible for Pagourtzis to receive a fair trial.

Prosecutors argued that the process of jury selection would weed out any bias.

The judge granted the defense’s motion Feb. 27.

The new location of Pagourtzis’ trial has not been announced.

Federal custody

The FBI took Pagourtzis into custody April 8, but the nature of the federal charges against him were not known because the case has been sealed. 

The case is sealed because Pagourtzis is considered a juvenile at the federal level. Federal prosecutors are conducting a review to see if he will be tried as an adult.

Mental health

Pagourtzis is undergoing a battery of tests to assess his mental health. The tests were requested by his attorneys.


About the Authors:

Award winning investigative journalist who joined KPRC 2 in July 2000. Husband and father of the Master of Disaster and Chaos Gremlin. “I don’t drink coffee to wake up, I wake up to drink coffee.”