Students Return To School For Vehicles, Belongings Day After Deadly Shooting
SANTA FE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Santa Fe High School, located about an hour southeast of Houston, remained blocked off Saturday afternoon as authorities investigated a mass shooting that took place Friday morning.
However, students and staff were allowed to get their cars and belongings on Saturday. They met at Santa Fe Junior High and then got on buses headed to the high school.
"I'm coming up here to get on the shuttle," said Santa Fe High School sophomore Gavin Hawk.
Hawk, like many students, said he's still wrapping his head around what he witnessed at school Friday morning.
"I think we all just need a little time to mourn and try to get through this," said Hawk.
Hawk played on the high school football team with 17 year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis. Pagourtzis is now accused of killing 10 people and injuring another 13 before being arrested.
"Just didn't think he would do that," said Hawk.
"He was normal to me," said Santa Fe High School sophmore Alyssa Voll. "He was just a normal, nerdy teenager."
"We all loved him," said Hawk. "I definitely don't love him no more. I didn't see his social media before this happened. I guess if I had I would have realized something was up."
After Pagourtzis was arrested, a "Born to Kill" t-shirt was found on his Facebook page. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said authorities also discovered he kept notes in his cell phone and journal. He wrote he wanted to shoot up the school and then commit suicide.
Students said Saturday they're now hurting for the victims. Substitute teachers Ann Perkins and Cynthia Tisdale and students Angelique Ramirez, Kimberly Vaughn, Shana Fisher, Sabika Sheikh and Chris Stone were killed.
Stone also played on the high school football team with Hawk and Pagourtzis.
"He was a center," said Hawk. "We all loved Chris.Chris was an awesome guy. Funny."
"I knew all of them," said Santa Fe High School Sophomore Autumn Harrison. "So I mean it's kind of heartbreaking to see our best friends die like that."
Students said they're focused on feeling safe again and are pushing for better school security.
"We need to have metal detectors in our school," said Harrison.
"At the time of the shooting, we had three armed guards in the school and we had about eight to nine entrances, so maybe just more cops there," said Hawk.
Students said they can head back to school Wednesday, but many said they're not sure if they'll be ready to go back.
Summer break and high school graduation are about two weeks away.