Texas school shooting victim's mother says daughter rejected suspect's advances
The mother of 16-year-old Shana Fisher believes that her daughter was intentionally targeted by Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the suspected shooter at a Texas high school. Fisher was one of 10 people killed when a gunman opened fire Friday at Santa Fe High School.
Sadie Rodriguez said Pagourtzi repeatedly made advances toward Fisher in the four months leading up to the shooting. Pagourtzi was an ex-boyfriend of Fisher's best friend, she said.
"He kept making advances on her and she repeatedly told him no," said Rodriguez over Facebook Messenger. "He continued to get more aggressive."
Rodriguez said that the week before the shooting, Fisher "stood up to him" by "embarrass(ing) him in class." Rodriguez gave no other details.
Rodriguez described her daughter as a "shy and sweet" with a passion for video games. Rodriguez shared a video of Fisher from 2015, in which the teen contemplates whether or not she'll continue making gaming videos because her computer keeps crashing.
The day of the shooting, Rodriguez wrote in a Facebook status to "love like (you're) getting one more day with them."
"Anything can happen," she wrote. "I will no longer get to see my baby my 1st born anymore."
Pagourtzi was taken into custody Friday after the shooting and is facing capital murder charges. His motive remains unclear. In a probable cause affidavit, however, authorities said the suspect admitted to the shooting. The gunman also told investigators that when he opened fire Friday morning, "he did not shoot students he did like so he could have his story told," according to the affidavit.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday the suspect intended to kill himself but gave up and told police that he did not have the courage to take his own life.