Ten people were killed in a school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, on Friday morning.
At least 10 people were wounded, including one police officer.
The suspect is 17-year old Dimitrios Pagourtzis.
Police are investigating “explosive devices” found at the high school and surrounding area, including at a home and in a vehicle.
Ten people were killed and at least 10 others were wounded in a school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, on Friday morning, according to Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
Law enforcement officials told several news outlets that the one male suspect taken into custody was 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed at a Friday morning news conference that another “person of interest” was detained, and one police officer was injured.
Santa Fe High School remains “an active crime scene.” An official confirmed that explosive devices were found in the school and the “surrounding areas adjacent to the high school,” and urged nearby residents to keep an eye out for suspicious items.
Courtney Marshall, 15, told Reuters that the gunman entered her classroom on Friday and opened fire.
“I wanted to take care of my friends, but I knew I had to get out of there,” Marshall told the news agency. “I knew the guy behind me was dead.”
Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder and aggravated assault.
At least seven victims killed in the shooting have been identified by family, friends or organizations: Sabika Sheikh, an exchange student from Pakistan; Cynthia Tisdale, a substitute who was teaching an art class when she was shot; student Chris Stone; student Angelique Ramirez; student Shana Fisher; student Kyle McLeod; and student Kim Vaughn.
Abbott said Friday afternoon that police were investigating two residences near the school and had found explosive devices at a home and in a vehicle.
Pagourtzis had two weapons, a shotgun and .38 revolver, obtained from his father, who likely had them legally, according to Abbott. The alleged shooter had information on his computer and in journals saying that he wanted to commit the shooting and to kill himself, but “didn’t have the courage” to do the latter, Abbott said.
During a hearing for Pagourtzis later on Friday, Galveston County Judge Mark Henry denied bond for the teen gunman and he, in turn, requested a court-appointed attorney. After the hearing, Henry told reporters that Pagourtzis was being held in solitary confinement.
The judge also said that police found several different explosives while investigating the shooting, including a Molotov cocktail, a pressure cooker device and a CO2 device.
All schools in the Santa Fe Independent School District will be closed next Monday and Tuesday. Santa Fe High School has less than two weeks left before the end of its academic year.
Dozens gathered Friday evening for a prayer vigil at the Texas First Bank on Highway 6 to honor the victims of the shooting. Politicians and religious leaders offered prayers and words of solidarity for the small, tight-knit community.
Abbott addressed the gathering, telling the people that he and other state leaders wouldn’t be “here today and gone tomorrow.”
“No child, no parent, no student, no community should ever have to go through this again,” the governor said. “So we will work until we come up with answers to address the challenge that Santa Fe encountered today.”
Earlier Friday, school district officials confirmed on their Facebook page that the school was on lockdown, following reports of an “active shooter.” Santa Fe police told HuffPost that officers were on the scene. Officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced shortly thereafter that they were also responding to the situation.
Students were sent to a gym near the elementary and junior high schools, about a mile and a half from the high school, according to the school district.
Three patients with gunshot wounds were taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, hospital spokesman Raul Reyes told HuffPost.
As of 8:00 p.m. local time, one middle-aged male patient had undergone seven hours of surgery and was transferred to the intensive care unit in critical condition. A middle-aged female patient was also in critical condition and in the ICU. The third patient, under the age of 18, suffered gunshot wounds in the leg and was in “good condition,” Reyes said.
The Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, a level II trauma center, treated eight patients from the Santa Fe shooting and released six. Two additional patients were treated and released from the Mainland Medical Center, located on Clear Lake Regional’s campus.
Santa Fe is located about 25 miles northwest of Galveston and 40 miles southeast of Houston. The high school serves about 1,500 students, according to statistics reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
In February, the same school went on lockdown after reports of shots fired. However, after investigating, the police did not find any evidence of shots, and no one was injured, according to local news reports.
Friday’s shooting was the 16th school shooting so far this year, according to a count by The Washington Post. It was also the 10th since the February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead and sparked a nationwide conversation about gun violence in America.
Other sources, such as CNN, have even higher tallies for shootings this year, though they use a broader definition of any incident in which a gun was discharged on a school campus.
One of the Santa Fe student survivors, Paige Curry, said that she was not surprised by Friday’s shooting.
“It’s been happening everywhere,” she told the local ABC affiliate. “I’ve always kind of felt like eventually it was going to happen here too.”
Abbott has pledged to work with state legislators to look into solutions to gun violence.
At the White House, President Donald Trump called the shooting “a horrific attack.”
“This has been going on too long. Too many years and decades now,” he said. “We will be with you forever.”
Earlier Friday morning, Trump and first lady Melania Trump both tweeted their condolences about the shooting.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Antonia Blumberg, Andy Campbell, Sebastian Murdock and Nick Wing contributed reporting.