Santa Fe High School Shooting
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Erica Hill live in Santa Fe, Texas, a small town outside of Galveston. Today, in the morning, 10 lives lost inside Santa Fe High School behind me. And we now know the names of all 10 victims. We can share with you some of their pictures as well. 17-year-old Jared Black, he was supposed to have his birthday party today, Pakistani exchange student Savika Sheik, a 17-year-old, Christopher Jake Stone and teacher, Cynthia Tisdale. These are the victims we have pictures of so far. But as we mentioned all the victims have now been identified, their names being released, Glenda Ann Perkins who was also a teacher and students, Kimberly Vaughan, Shana Fisher, Angelique Ramirez, Christian Riley Garcia, and Aaron Kyle McLeod. Now, also for the first time, we are hearing from the family of the alleged shooter. They are speaking out as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis sits in solitary confinement in a local jail. The Pagourtzis family releasing a statement which reads in part, "we extend our most heartfelt prayers and condolences to all of the victims. 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 Dimitrios as we knew him, and know him a smart, quiet, sweet boy." They go on to say, "we share the public's hunger for answers as to why this happened." The suspect's attorney saying, that he spent 30 minutes with the 17-year-old today, who he described as not doing well and confused. According to authorities, information in his journals, on his computer and his cell phone suggest that he also wanted to take his own life after the shooting. On his Facebook page a photo of a black t-shirt with three words "born to kill." I want to get right to CNN's Rosa Flores with more now in terms of the investigation. Rosa, what more are you learning?</s>ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Erica, one of the things I can't reiterate enough is that we don't have a lot of new information. We were hoping for new information during a press conference today. But there were no investigative threats discussed at that moment. What we do know, however, from authorities is that the accused shooter acted alone. Authorities did interview two other individuals but then cleared them. Now, what we know about the ammunition, about the guns, about the weapons that were us used in this case according to authorities is that a shotgun and a 38 revolver were used. Initially we had heard that this individual had placed bombs, pipe bombs, pressure cooker bombs in different areas, not just on campus but off campus. Now, authorities describing those devices as very juvenile and also unsophisticated. Now, we are learning a little more from a probable cause document. In that document it states that the accused shooter walked out of the art lab and then surrendered to police and then told a police officer that he had spared some students because he thought that he liked them and that he was hoping that they would tell his story. As you mentioned, the accused shooter is in custody. He's in solitary confinement. And from what we heard from authorities, he is cooperating with police. And from that statement with -- from an attorney that is representing the family, the family is also cooperating with authorities. Erica?</s>HILL: Our Rosa Flores with the very latest for us. Rosa, thank you. Throughout the afternoon here behind us we have seen students coming in, groups of 10 people being led in one group at a time so that they can collect their belongings in the school, many of them also taking their cars from the parking lot which throughout the course of the day behind us has emptied out. And keep in mind they're going back into the school for the first time since the sooting happened. Many of them of course know the victims and also the suspect. Joining us now is Madeline Williams. Madeline, this is a lot for anyone to take in. You're a senior here. You were getting ready to start studying for finals yesterday. And I know now you're thinking about people that you've lost. How are you and your friends holding up today?</s>MADELINE WILLIAMS, SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Well, like I said when we were talking, we're a town that if you fall off your horse you've got to get back up and dust yourself off. A lot of everyone in Santa Fe is coming together in a beautiful way. The vigil last night that we were at, so many faces that I haven't seen in years. Sorry.</s>HILL: You don't need to apologize. Take your time.</s>WILLIAMS: People that I was -- that I haven't talked to in years, people that I had gotten in huge fights with. They just came up to me and hugged me. They said, even though I'm upset this happened I'm glad you're OK.</s>HILL: I know you sort of put the phones aside today. You and your mom were saying, you turn the T.V. off, put away the Facebook. And you're wearing this pin because you were actually at a baby shower earlier.</s>WILLIAMS: I was.</s>HILL: That was an important thing for you to be a part of today.</s>WILLIAMS: Yes. In this time of so much mourning and grief there is still time to celebrate the life that we still have. And I feel like if they were here, their life should have been celebrated instead of mourned because they did live and they did have a chance.</s>HILL: I know you know some of the victims. That's a lot to process.</s>WILLIAMS: It is.</s>HILL: Is that something that you and your friends have been talking about?</s>WILLIAMS: It is. We were just talking about how just Thursday we were laughing with them, we were cutting up, just being teenagers, and now we don't get to do that anymore.</s>HILL: You also knew the shooter.</s>WILLIAMS: I did. I was talking to him in seventh period on the Sunday or on Thursday. And there was no warning signs. There was no indication that he could do any of this because he was very quiet. And he was very sweet. He was funny. He was never mean to me. He was nice. We make jokes. We laughed about memes on the internet. And there was no red flags, no warning.</s>HILL: If you could ask -- have any question answered right now, what is it that you want to know?</s>WILLIAMS: The big question on everyone's mind. Why? Why did he do it? You know, why them? Why that period? Why 20 more minutes and it would have been my class.</s>HILL: It's a lot for you. Madeline, I know it's important to talk about things. And I know its part of the process. We appreciate you taking some time. And I know your mom's here with you. And I can see how much she cares about you. And you clearly have a good support system. And that is important to know as well. Thank you.</s>WILLIAMS: Thank you.</s>HILL: Ana, we'll send it back to you.</s>CABRERA: My heart goes out to her. Erica, thank you for continuing to lift up these victims and sharing the stories of these children who had to experience something they certainly should never have had to experience. Coming up here in the NEWSROOM, the president doubling down on a conspiracy theory this evening that the Department of Justice planted an informant inside his campaign in 2016.