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The Living Force
Another High School shooting with casualties.
May 18, 2018 - 10 dead in Texas school shooting, suspect charged with capital murder and denied bail
10 dead in Texas school shooting, suspect charged with capital murder and denied bail
[Breaking news update, published at 7:20 p.m. ET]
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the suspect in the mass shooting at a Texas high school that left 10 people dead, was denied bail after he was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault on a public servant. He was not asked to enter a plea during his initial appearance in a Galveston County court house.
[Previous story, published at 6:51 p.m. ET]
Ten people were killed and 10 others were wounded Friday morning by a teenager with a shotgun and a revolver at a high school in the southeastern Texas city of Santa Fe, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Authorities have said two people have been detained in the shooting at Santa Fe High School. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office identified the shooter as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, who is 17.
He is in jail, accused of capital murder, the sheriff's office said. Nine students and one teacher died, a law enforcement official told CNN.
The alleged shooter used a shotgun and a .38 revolver that were legally owned by his father, Abbott told reporters. Two school resource officers were on the campus and confronted the shooter "early on in the process," Abbott said.
Latest developments
• A student who survived being shot in the head tweeted: "I'm so greatful and blessed that god spared me today." Rome Shubert showed CNN affiliate KTRK where a bullet went in the back of his head and came out near his left ear.
Officials are discussing whether to also bring federal charges against the shooting suspect, a federal law enforcement source told CNN. Because he is 17, it would require special permission from the US attorney general.
• One classmate told CNN the alleged shooter was "really quiet and he wore like a trench coat almost every day."
• Abbott said investigators have found journals on a computer and cell phone owned by the suspect.
• The governor offered his sympathies to the victims then called for lawmakers and others to come together to prevent more tragedies. "We need to do more than just pray for the victims and their families. It's time in Texas that we take action to step up and make sure this tragedy is never repeated ever again."
• Retired Houston Police officer John Barnes was one of the people shot at Santa Fe High School, a hospital official said. Houston's police chief tweeted that he visited the hospital where Barnes was being treated and that Barnes was "hanging in there." The officer was working as a Santa Fe officer, a police union official tweeted.
What we know about the shooting
Early morning attack
Gunfire erupted at the school, about 20 miles outside Galveston, not long after classes began around 7:30 a.m. CT, officials said. Authorities later found explosive devices -- including pipe bombs and pressure cookers -- in and near the school, the law enforcement official said.
The suspect is believed to be a student. A second person -- also believed to be a student -- has been detained as well, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said earlier.
The male that Gonzalez described as a suspect was injured, a law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity.
Investigators believe that the second person, an 18-year-old, may be an accomplice but not a shooter, a law enforcement official said.
Two law enforcement officers are among the injured, according to a law enforcement source.
One man is in critical condition with a gunshot wound in one of his arms, said David Marshall, chief nursing officer for University of Texas Medical Branch hospital.
This is the 22nd US school shooting since the beginning of the year, and the third instance in eight days in which a gunman was on a school campus.
Witnesses described students running from the school as they heard gunshots; they also described hearing an alarm at the school, though the sequence of events wasn't immediately clear.
Authorities found explosive devices in the high school and in adjacent areas, said Walter Braun, Santa Fe Independent School District police chief. It wasn't immediately clear if any had exploded.
Because the devices were found, Braun urged people in the city of about 13,000 people to "not touch any items that look out of place, and call 911" if they see something suspicious.
Investigators Friday afternoon were searching a trailer where they believe the devices were assembled, a law enforcement source said.
The school has been cleared of all students and staff, who have been directed to a nearby facility to reunite with their families, Braun said.
Witness: Shooter fired gun in an art class
An armed person walked into an art class at the school and began firing what looked like a shotgun, a witness told CNN affiliate KTRK.
The witness told KTRK she saw a girl shot in the leg.
Victims were being treated at three hospitals, authorities said. Eight people went to Clear Lake Regional Medical in Webster, Texas; two patients were treated at Mainland Medical Center in Texas City; and four patients went to John Sealy University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. It is unclear whether they were all wounded.
Six of the eight patients at Clare Lake Regional were discharged by Friday afternoon.
Witnesses describe hearing an alarm as well as gunfire
Angelica Martinez, a 14-year-old student, told CNN she and her schoolmates were being evacuated at one point "like it's a fire drill."
"We were all standing (outside), but not even five minutes later, we started hearing gunshots," she said. "And then everybody starts running, but, like, the teachers are telling us to stay put, but we're all just running away."
"I didn't see anybody shooting, but like (the gunshots) were kind of spaced," Angelica said, adding she heard about four shots.
A witness who spoke to KTRK also said she heard an alarm. She didn't specify if that was before or after the gunfire she described in the art class.
She said she couldn't describe the shooter. "I didn't look. I just ran," she said.
Another student, Dakota Shrader, told CNN affiliate KPRC that she heard gunshots only after hearing an alarm in the school.
"I was in the history hallway, and as soon as we heard the alarms, everybody just started leaving following the same procedure as ... (a) practice fire drill," Shrader said, breaking into tears. "And next thing you know, we just hear ... three gunshots, loud explosions, and all the teachers are telling us to run."
MaKenna Evans, a 16-year-old sophomore, told CNN she was in geometry class when the shooting started.
First, she heard a fire alarm, she said. When the students got outside, her principal told them all to run. Evans said students hid behind a building across the street from the school.
The high school has about 1,400 students, according to GreatSchools.org.
Trump: Mass shootings have been 'going on too long in our country'
Trump addressed the school shooting, saying that mass shootings have been "going on too long."
"Unfortunately, I have to begin by expressing our sadness and heartbreak over the deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas," Trump said from the East Room of the White House. "This has been going on too long in our country. Too many years. Too many decades now."
Trump said federal authorities are coordinating with local officials.
"We grieve for the terrible loss of life and send our support to everyone affected by this absolutely horrific attack," Trump said.
Trump has ordered US flags at federal facilities be flown at half-staff.
May 18, 2018 - At least 10 dead in Santa Fe High School; shooter had multiple guns, bombs (Photos)
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Shots-fired-at-Santa-Fe-High-School-12925050.php
Update via CBS The suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a Texas high school Friday morning has been identified as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, law enforcement sources tell CBS News.
Chron
SANTA FE, Texas – At least 10 people died Friday morning in gunfire at Santa Fe High school, law enforcement officials confirmed, while at least a dozen others were injured, according to area hospitals.
Police arrested a student suspect and detained a second person, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said via Twitter.
The dead are expected to include students and staff, according to a senior law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak about the investigation.
The assailant was armed with an AR-15 style rifle, a pistol, a shotgun and pipe bombs, the official said.
“Officers inside encountered a bloody mess in the school,” the source said, adding, “Evidently this guy threw pipe bombs all in there. We don’t know if any of them went off.”
The bloodshed 30 miles south of Houston is the worst mass shooting in America since February, when 17 people were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, Florida, according to a database of shootings maintained by the Washington Post.
UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: Officials said during a press briefing that “suspected material” has been found off campus and that people should not touch anything that they find that looks suspicious, and should call 911.
11:10 a.m.: The official identified an injured police officer as John Barnes, a former Houston police officer who was retired and working with the school’s police department. He was shot in the shoulder and is not critically wounded, the source said.
11:04 a.m.: Sheriff Gonzalez told reporters the number of dead could rise as high as 10. The suspect is believed to be a student, he said, and most of the dead are students. It is still a “very active” scene at the school, with a bomb squad and police checking to make sure the area is secure, he said.
11 a.m.: Gyl Switzer, executive director of Texas Gun Sense, issued a statement: “Our hearts go out to those affected by today’s shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Texas. We Texans love our children. We must do a better job of protecting them. There are proven strategies to reduce senseless gun violence. Today, Texas Gun Sense re-doubles our commitment to stop the killing. Work with us.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier issued a statement offering thoughts and prayers.
10:53 a.m.: Yesterday, David Hogg, a student from the Parkland high school that reginited a national conversation on gun control, had a chilling premonition. He said gun violence kept him up at night.
“There is someone alive right now that will not be alive at this time tomorrow and has never even thought about gun violence, but everyone around them will have to for the rest of their lives,” he told reporters at an engagement in Los Angeles.
10:47 a.m.: Tenth grader Dakota Shrader said he heard alarms go off and students exited to a grassy area, waiting for an all-clear as in a normal fire drill. Then he heard three gunshots and screams of “Run! Run!”
Shrader ran as fast as he could to a wooded area, started having an asthma attack and called his mother.
“The world, I just don’t like what it’s becoming,” Shrader said. “Every school shooting, kids getting killed, innocent kids getting killed. No family should have to suffer that just because somebody wants to be selfish and go out and hurt other people. It’s just not right at all.”
10:45 a.m.: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement: “The thoughts and prayers of all Texans are with the people of Santa Fe and those affected by today’s tragic shooting. As horrific reports come out of Santa Fe High School, my office stands ready to assist local law enforcement as needed.”
10:40 a.m.: Trey Lemley, 17, said he was in the school’s first floor art room when a shooter walked in, his sister, Courtney Lemley, 19, said.
Trey dropped his phone and barricaded himself inside one of the room’s two closets, she said. When he left, he saw three bodies and pools of blood.
Courtney and her boyfriend, 19-year-old Austin Evans, graduated from the school last year. They said the art room is located near a main, back exit of the school, and the room itself has an exit that leads to the parking lot.
After being turned away from the school, Courtney and Evans walked to Arcadian First Baptist Church, where Courtney’s mother works.
In the parking lot, National Guardsmen gathered supplies before driving towards the school in a military vehicle. Small groups began to gather in the church’s parking lot, staring at their cell phones and sharing details they heard from friends and from news outlets
10:35 a.m.: The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has received three patients, the hospital reported on social media. Two are adults and one is under 18.
Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster received seven injured students, a spokeswoman for that facility said. Previous reports that an injured officer was taken there are wrong, she said. Two other injured students were taken to Mainland Medical Center in Texas City, she said.
The conditions of all of the injured are unknown.
EARLIER:
An unidentified law enforcement officer was shot, but sources said he was “clipped” and was not seriously injured.
One source said the gunman was a male, but could provide no further information.
The shooter has been “arrested and secured,” said Santa Fe HS Assistant Principal Dr. Cris Richardson.
Several other students as well as an officer was injured in the shooting.
Joe Gamaldi with the Houston Police Officers Union tweeted, “Please keep the officers in your prayers as one officer is being life flighted to the hospital.”
Students described the gunfire, which broke out about 7:30 a.m.
Junior Liberty Wheeler, 14, was in class when she heard five shots ring out near the art room.
Her teacher told them to run toward the theater department’s storage room, where they hid for 45 minutes before being escorted outside by the SWAT team. “You could smell the gunpowder that came from the gun,” Wheeler recalled as she was escorted out of the building. “We were all scared because it was near us.”
Paige Curry, a junior at the school, said “I was sitting in my classroom and I heard very loud booms and I didn’t know what they were. I was confused but after I heard screaming, I figured out what they were, got up immediately and started to run. I almost ran out of the school but I hid instead with the other students. I was there for maybe 30 minutes I was on the phone with my mom the whole time. They found us and escorted us.”
“There were a lot of people, a lot of different suits so I wasn’t really sure but I think they were SWAT.” “I was very, very scared but I managed to keep calm, especially with my mom on the phone.” “I heard people were hurt and the gunshots were from a classroom maybe three doors down. I heard five [shots] maybe. It was one boom, then another boom very loud. It wasn’t rapid.”
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is treating two patients, their conditions not yet being disclosed, said spokesman Raul Reyes. He said more patients are expected, including one currently being transported from the branch’s League City hospital. He said a helicopter with at least one patient is on the way and more ambulances are expected.
Officers in tactical gear were deployed into the school. Outside, groups of students evacuated from the building are being patted down by authorities.
Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were sent to assist Galveston County officers on the scene, according to a tweet by HCSO Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. The ATF also confirmed it responded to the scene.
Richardson said he could not confirm whether there was more than one shooter. “We hope the worst is over,” he said.
(Note: Not related to the above shooting but an unusual incident at another Texas School.)
19.05.2018 - US Military Chopper Drops Ammo on Texas School, leaves Hole in Roof (Photos)
US Military Chopper Drops Ammo on Texas School, Leaves Hole in Roof (PHOTOS)
A military helicopter mistakenly dropped a full box of ammunition onto a Texas elementary school on Thursday, leaving a hole in the school's roof and cutting off some of its power.
The chopper involved has been identified as a Black Hawk helicopter, Popular Mechanics reported.
The incident, which took place at Parkland Elementary School, occurred at roughly 3:45 p.m. local time, after classes had already been let out for the day. No students or teachers were injured, according to a statement from the Ysleta Independent School District.
According to local media reports, police in El Paso, Texas, arrived on the scene to investigate the issue and later returned the ammunition to the Fort Bliss Military Police.
"I'm extremely sorry for any damage done to the neighboring elementary school, and I am grateful that no one was injured," Col. Jay Hopkins, commander of the 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade, told the local station KTSM. "The incident is under investigation."
In response to the incident, officials at Fort Bliss have stated that they will be reassessing their flight patterns to prevent similar mistakes from happening in the future.
The El Paso Times reported the school was open for Friday classes.
Similar incidents have occurred in Japan: part of a US military chopper's window fell on an elementary school, slightly injuring a student in December 2017, and a US military parachute fell from a transport aircraft and landed on a middle school tennis court in April.
May 18, 2018 - 10 dead in Texas school shooting, suspect charged with capital murder and denied bail
10 dead in Texas school shooting, suspect charged with capital murder and denied bail
[Breaking news update, published at 7:20 p.m. ET]
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the suspect in the mass shooting at a Texas high school that left 10 people dead, was denied bail after he was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault on a public servant. He was not asked to enter a plea during his initial appearance in a Galveston County court house.
[Previous story, published at 6:51 p.m. ET]
Ten people were killed and 10 others were wounded Friday morning by a teenager with a shotgun and a revolver at a high school in the southeastern Texas city of Santa Fe, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Authorities have said two people have been detained in the shooting at Santa Fe High School. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office identified the shooter as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, who is 17.
He is in jail, accused of capital murder, the sheriff's office said. Nine students and one teacher died, a law enforcement official told CNN.
The alleged shooter used a shotgun and a .38 revolver that were legally owned by his father, Abbott told reporters. Two school resource officers were on the campus and confronted the shooter "early on in the process," Abbott said.
Latest developments
• A student who survived being shot in the head tweeted: "I'm so greatful and blessed that god spared me today." Rome Shubert showed CNN affiliate KTRK where a bullet went in the back of his head and came out near his left ear.
Officials are discussing whether to also bring federal charges against the shooting suspect, a federal law enforcement source told CNN. Because he is 17, it would require special permission from the US attorney general.
• One classmate told CNN the alleged shooter was "really quiet and he wore like a trench coat almost every day."
• Abbott said investigators have found journals on a computer and cell phone owned by the suspect.
• The governor offered his sympathies to the victims then called for lawmakers and others to come together to prevent more tragedies. "We need to do more than just pray for the victims and their families. It's time in Texas that we take action to step up and make sure this tragedy is never repeated ever again."
• Retired Houston Police officer John Barnes was one of the people shot at Santa Fe High School, a hospital official said. Houston's police chief tweeted that he visited the hospital where Barnes was being treated and that Barnes was "hanging in there." The officer was working as a Santa Fe officer, a police union official tweeted.
What we know about the shooting
Early morning attack
Gunfire erupted at the school, about 20 miles outside Galveston, not long after classes began around 7:30 a.m. CT, officials said. Authorities later found explosive devices -- including pipe bombs and pressure cookers -- in and near the school, the law enforcement official said.
The suspect is believed to be a student. A second person -- also believed to be a student -- has been detained as well, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said earlier.
The male that Gonzalez described as a suspect was injured, a law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity.
Investigators believe that the second person, an 18-year-old, may be an accomplice but not a shooter, a law enforcement official said.
Two law enforcement officers are among the injured, according to a law enforcement source.
One man is in critical condition with a gunshot wound in one of his arms, said David Marshall, chief nursing officer for University of Texas Medical Branch hospital.
This is the 22nd US school shooting since the beginning of the year, and the third instance in eight days in which a gunman was on a school campus.
Witnesses described students running from the school as they heard gunshots; they also described hearing an alarm at the school, though the sequence of events wasn't immediately clear.
Authorities found explosive devices in the high school and in adjacent areas, said Walter Braun, Santa Fe Independent School District police chief. It wasn't immediately clear if any had exploded.
Because the devices were found, Braun urged people in the city of about 13,000 people to "not touch any items that look out of place, and call 911" if they see something suspicious.
Investigators Friday afternoon were searching a trailer where they believe the devices were assembled, a law enforcement source said.
The school has been cleared of all students and staff, who have been directed to a nearby facility to reunite with their families, Braun said.
Witness: Shooter fired gun in an art class
An armed person walked into an art class at the school and began firing what looked like a shotgun, a witness told CNN affiliate KTRK.
The witness told KTRK she saw a girl shot in the leg.
Victims were being treated at three hospitals, authorities said. Eight people went to Clear Lake Regional Medical in Webster, Texas; two patients were treated at Mainland Medical Center in Texas City; and four patients went to John Sealy University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. It is unclear whether they were all wounded.
Six of the eight patients at Clare Lake Regional were discharged by Friday afternoon.
Witnesses describe hearing an alarm as well as gunfire
Angelica Martinez, a 14-year-old student, told CNN she and her schoolmates were being evacuated at one point "like it's a fire drill."
"We were all standing (outside), but not even five minutes later, we started hearing gunshots," she said. "And then everybody starts running, but, like, the teachers are telling us to stay put, but we're all just running away."
"I didn't see anybody shooting, but like (the gunshots) were kind of spaced," Angelica said, adding she heard about four shots.
A witness who spoke to KTRK also said she heard an alarm. She didn't specify if that was before or after the gunfire she described in the art class.
She said she couldn't describe the shooter. "I didn't look. I just ran," she said.
Another student, Dakota Shrader, told CNN affiliate KPRC that she heard gunshots only after hearing an alarm in the school.
"I was in the history hallway, and as soon as we heard the alarms, everybody just started leaving following the same procedure as ... (a) practice fire drill," Shrader said, breaking into tears. "And next thing you know, we just hear ... three gunshots, loud explosions, and all the teachers are telling us to run."
MaKenna Evans, a 16-year-old sophomore, told CNN she was in geometry class when the shooting started.
First, she heard a fire alarm, she said. When the students got outside, her principal told them all to run. Evans said students hid behind a building across the street from the school.
The high school has about 1,400 students, according to GreatSchools.org.
Trump: Mass shootings have been 'going on too long in our country'
Trump addressed the school shooting, saying that mass shootings have been "going on too long."
"Unfortunately, I have to begin by expressing our sadness and heartbreak over the deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas," Trump said from the East Room of the White House. "This has been going on too long in our country. Too many years. Too many decades now."
Trump said federal authorities are coordinating with local officials.
"We grieve for the terrible loss of life and send our support to everyone affected by this absolutely horrific attack," Trump said.
Trump has ordered US flags at federal facilities be flown at half-staff.
May 18, 2018 - At least 10 dead in Santa Fe High School; shooter had multiple guns, bombs (Photos)
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Shots-fired-at-Santa-Fe-High-School-12925050.php
Update via CBS The suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a Texas high school Friday morning has been identified as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, law enforcement sources tell CBS News.
Chron
SANTA FE, Texas – At least 10 people died Friday morning in gunfire at Santa Fe High school, law enforcement officials confirmed, while at least a dozen others were injured, according to area hospitals.
Police arrested a student suspect and detained a second person, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said via Twitter.
The dead are expected to include students and staff, according to a senior law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak about the investigation.
The assailant was armed with an AR-15 style rifle, a pistol, a shotgun and pipe bombs, the official said.
“Officers inside encountered a bloody mess in the school,” the source said, adding, “Evidently this guy threw pipe bombs all in there. We don’t know if any of them went off.”
The bloodshed 30 miles south of Houston is the worst mass shooting in America since February, when 17 people were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, Florida, according to a database of shootings maintained by the Washington Post.
UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: Officials said during a press briefing that “suspected material” has been found off campus and that people should not touch anything that they find that looks suspicious, and should call 911.
11:10 a.m.: The official identified an injured police officer as John Barnes, a former Houston police officer who was retired and working with the school’s police department. He was shot in the shoulder and is not critically wounded, the source said.
11:04 a.m.: Sheriff Gonzalez told reporters the number of dead could rise as high as 10. The suspect is believed to be a student, he said, and most of the dead are students. It is still a “very active” scene at the school, with a bomb squad and police checking to make sure the area is secure, he said.
11 a.m.: Gyl Switzer, executive director of Texas Gun Sense, issued a statement: “Our hearts go out to those affected by today’s shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Texas. We Texans love our children. We must do a better job of protecting them. There are proven strategies to reduce senseless gun violence. Today, Texas Gun Sense re-doubles our commitment to stop the killing. Work with us.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier issued a statement offering thoughts and prayers.
10:53 a.m.: Yesterday, David Hogg, a student from the Parkland high school that reginited a national conversation on gun control, had a chilling premonition. He said gun violence kept him up at night.
“There is someone alive right now that will not be alive at this time tomorrow and has never even thought about gun violence, but everyone around them will have to for the rest of their lives,” he told reporters at an engagement in Los Angeles.
10:47 a.m.: Tenth grader Dakota Shrader said he heard alarms go off and students exited to a grassy area, waiting for an all-clear as in a normal fire drill. Then he heard three gunshots and screams of “Run! Run!”
Shrader ran as fast as he could to a wooded area, started having an asthma attack and called his mother.
“The world, I just don’t like what it’s becoming,” Shrader said. “Every school shooting, kids getting killed, innocent kids getting killed. No family should have to suffer that just because somebody wants to be selfish and go out and hurt other people. It’s just not right at all.”
10:45 a.m.: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement: “The thoughts and prayers of all Texans are with the people of Santa Fe and those affected by today’s tragic shooting. As horrific reports come out of Santa Fe High School, my office stands ready to assist local law enforcement as needed.”
10:40 a.m.: Trey Lemley, 17, said he was in the school’s first floor art room when a shooter walked in, his sister, Courtney Lemley, 19, said.
Trey dropped his phone and barricaded himself inside one of the room’s two closets, she said. When he left, he saw three bodies and pools of blood.
Courtney and her boyfriend, 19-year-old Austin Evans, graduated from the school last year. They said the art room is located near a main, back exit of the school, and the room itself has an exit that leads to the parking lot.
After being turned away from the school, Courtney and Evans walked to Arcadian First Baptist Church, where Courtney’s mother works.
In the parking lot, National Guardsmen gathered supplies before driving towards the school in a military vehicle. Small groups began to gather in the church’s parking lot, staring at their cell phones and sharing details they heard from friends and from news outlets
10:35 a.m.: The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has received three patients, the hospital reported on social media. Two are adults and one is under 18.
Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster received seven injured students, a spokeswoman for that facility said. Previous reports that an injured officer was taken there are wrong, she said. Two other injured students were taken to Mainland Medical Center in Texas City, she said.
The conditions of all of the injured are unknown.
EARLIER:
An unidentified law enforcement officer was shot, but sources said he was “clipped” and was not seriously injured.
One source said the gunman was a male, but could provide no further information.
The shooter has been “arrested and secured,” said Santa Fe HS Assistant Principal Dr. Cris Richardson.
Several other students as well as an officer was injured in the shooting.
Joe Gamaldi with the Houston Police Officers Union tweeted, “Please keep the officers in your prayers as one officer is being life flighted to the hospital.”
Students described the gunfire, which broke out about 7:30 a.m.
Junior Liberty Wheeler, 14, was in class when she heard five shots ring out near the art room.
Her teacher told them to run toward the theater department’s storage room, where they hid for 45 minutes before being escorted outside by the SWAT team. “You could smell the gunpowder that came from the gun,” Wheeler recalled as she was escorted out of the building. “We were all scared because it was near us.”
Paige Curry, a junior at the school, said “I was sitting in my classroom and I heard very loud booms and I didn’t know what they were. I was confused but after I heard screaming, I figured out what they were, got up immediately and started to run. I almost ran out of the school but I hid instead with the other students. I was there for maybe 30 minutes I was on the phone with my mom the whole time. They found us and escorted us.”
“There were a lot of people, a lot of different suits so I wasn’t really sure but I think they were SWAT.” “I was very, very scared but I managed to keep calm, especially with my mom on the phone.” “I heard people were hurt and the gunshots were from a classroom maybe three doors down. I heard five [shots] maybe. It was one boom, then another boom very loud. It wasn’t rapid.”
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is treating two patients, their conditions not yet being disclosed, said spokesman Raul Reyes. He said more patients are expected, including one currently being transported from the branch’s League City hospital. He said a helicopter with at least one patient is on the way and more ambulances are expected.
Officers in tactical gear were deployed into the school. Outside, groups of students evacuated from the building are being patted down by authorities.
Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were sent to assist Galveston County officers on the scene, according to a tweet by HCSO Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. The ATF also confirmed it responded to the scene.
Richardson said he could not confirm whether there was more than one shooter. “We hope the worst is over,” he said.
(Note: Not related to the above shooting but an unusual incident at another Texas School.)
19.05.2018 - US Military Chopper Drops Ammo on Texas School, leaves Hole in Roof (Photos)
US Military Chopper Drops Ammo on Texas School, Leaves Hole in Roof (PHOTOS)
A military helicopter mistakenly dropped a full box of ammunition onto a Texas elementary school on Thursday, leaving a hole in the school's roof and cutting off some of its power.
The chopper involved has been identified as a Black Hawk helicopter, Popular Mechanics reported.
The incident, which took place at Parkland Elementary School, occurred at roughly 3:45 p.m. local time, after classes had already been let out for the day. No students or teachers were injured, according to a statement from the Ysleta Independent School District.
According to local media reports, police in El Paso, Texas, arrived on the scene to investigate the issue and later returned the ammunition to the Fort Bliss Military Police.
"I'm extremely sorry for any damage done to the neighboring elementary school, and I am grateful that no one was injured," Col. Jay Hopkins, commander of the 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade, told the local station KTSM. "The incident is under investigation."
In response to the incident, officials at Fort Bliss have stated that they will be reassessing their flight patterns to prevent similar mistakes from happening in the future.
The El Paso Times reported the school was open for Friday classes.
Similar incidents have occurred in Japan: part of a US military chopper's window fell on an elementary school, slightly injuring a student in December 2017, and a US military parachute fell from a transport aircraft and landed on a middle school tennis court in April.
