On Monday, the civil trial against the parents of the accused Santa Fe High School shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, commenced with the selection of the jury. In May 2018, Pagourtzis allegedly shot and killed 10 individuals.
In February, a Galveston County judge scheduled a trial date following the filing of a civil suit by the families of the victims and survivors.
According to the lawsuit, the parents of Pagourtzis are being accused of not properly securing their firearms, leading to the teenager having access to them. Additionally, the suit claims that they neglected to provide him with necessary mental health counseling.
Last week, Pagourtzis’ parents filed a motion stating that they are not responsible for controlling the actions of others. They also mentioned that the harm caused to the plaintiffs was solely due to their son’s actions.
At 7:30 a.m., Pagourtzis, who was 17 years old at the time, allegedly entered an art class in the school and began firing shots. This resulted in a lockdown and evacuation of students before he was apprehended by authorities.
Thirteen individuals sustained injuries in addition to the ten fatalities.
During the pre-trial motions review, the judge met with the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, including Pagourtzis and his parents, to decide on admissible evidence for the trial.
Clint McGuire, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, stated that they would request for any statements made by Dimitrios prior to and after the incident regarding what took place.
According to Pagourtzis’ lawyer, Roberto Torres, there were some disagreements on the motions, but he refrained from providing any specifics. However, he did mention that the majority of the motions were mutually agreed upon by both parties.
At the age of 23, Pagourtzis was deemed unfit to stand trial due to his mental state. His legal team argued that his condition had worsened and that he lacked any memory of the shooting incident, nor did he comprehend the charges against him.
According to officials, the individual responsible for the shooting is currently being detained in a mental facility. The criminal case will be re-evaluated at a later time, specifically in 2025.
On Monday, Santa Fe Mayor Brandon Noto wrote a letter to the U.S. Attorney General, requesting an investigation by the Department of Justice into the shooting. The request was made in support of the victims’ own request, which was submitted two months ago.
Noto stated that despite the passage of time, the offender has not been brought to trial for the heinous act committed, and there are still many unanswered questions regarding the events that led up to and occurred after this tragic incident.
In his statement, he demanded that the DOJ should apologize to the victims and their families.
According to Noto’s statement, the Department’s form response regarding a previous request for an investigation stated, “You are requesting an investigation into the Columbine shooting” in the letter.
According to Noto, the reference made to the wrong shooting is “absurd” and demonstrates a complete lack of respect for the individuals who lost their lives on that day.
The trial of his parents is set to begin on Wednesday with opening statements. According to attorneys, the trial will take approximately three weeks to complete.