A school shooting at Santa Fe High School near Houston, Texas has resulted in eight students and two teachers dead and 13 wounded.
Another Deadly School Shooting
17-year-old student Dimitrios Pagourtzis is the suspected shooter. Before school on May 18, he entered his parents’ bedroom and took a shotgun and pistol from the closet, reports SacBee.com.
Dressed in a trench coat, he opened fire on his peers in the art room of his high school shortly after the start of class. NYTimes.com states that his plan was to kill some of his fellow students and then turn the gun on himself. But he chose not to commit suicide.
According to CNN.com, after his arrest Pagourtzis told authorities that he targeted people he didn’t like. He also mentioned that he allowed those he did like to live so that they would tell his story.
A Victim of Bullying
While the motive is not clear, the father of the alleged shooter, Antonios Pagourtzis, commented in an interview that he believes his son was under a lot of pressure. He guessed that something traumatic may have happened that lead to the incident, such as being bullied.
Red Flag Laws
In the wake of the incident, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a supporter of gun rights, is considering “Red Flag” laws for the state. Reuters.com reports it’s a move to keep guns out of the hands of those a judge has already determined to be a danger to themselves.
Abbott formed a panel made up of members from the Texas State Rifle Association and the pro-gun-control Texas Gun Sense. The group discussed mental health issues in schools, safe gun storage in homes and the red flag options.
The Bottom Line
Some districts have adopted security measures after last February’s deadly incident in Parkland, Florida. But not all schools have, nor has there been a nationwide initiative to harden these soft targets.
Physical security personnel and practices need to be put into place at every school in our country to ensure that another school shooting doesn’t happen.
Do you want to protect your workplace and employees? American Security Force can help. Call us today at 855-722-8585 for a security assessment.
