As 17-year old Dimitrios Pagourtzis sits in a cell in the Galveston County jail – charged with capital murder for the Friday shootings at Santa Fe High School, his family is speaking out.
On Saturday, the Pagourtzis’ released the following statement:
We are saddened and dismayed by yesterday's events at Santa Fe High School. We extend our most heartfelt prayers and condolences to all of the victims. We also wish to thank all the first responders from all over Texas that assisted in rendering aid and support.
We are as shocked and confused as anyone else by these events that occurred. We are gratified by the public comments made by other Santa Fe High School students that show Dimitri as we know him: a smart, quiet, sweet boy. While we remain mostly in the dark about the specifics of yesterday's tragedy, what we have learned from media reports seems incompatible with the boy we love.We share the public's hunger for answers as to why this happened, and will await the outcome of the investigation before speaking about these events. We have been and will continue to cooperate with the authorities conducting the investigation, and ask for the public's patience while it moves forward.We ask the public to please extend privacy, both to the victims and to our own family, as all of us try process these events, and begin the healing process.
The accused shooter has also had a first meeting with his attorneys. Nicholas Poehl is urging the public not to rush to judgment, saying he expects his client to undergo multiple mental health evaluations.
Despite the capital murder charges, Pagourtzis is not eligible for the death penalty if convicted, because he’s a minor.