10 Confirmed Dead, Others Injured at Santa Fe School Shooting

The attacker, Dimitrios Pagourtzis

"Gun rights" and "gun control" have become huge political and cultural issues in the United States.

The attacker, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old pupil at Santa Fe High School opened fire and killed 10 unarmed students and injured others. He has been arrested and charged with murder. He allegedly used a shotgun and a revolver taken from his father, who legally owned the weapons. It was widely reported that journals kept by Pagourtzis, 17, showed that he planned to carry out the attack and intended to kill himself afterwards but chickened out.

Pagourtzis suggested in social media posts that he was an atheist and on April 30th this year he said: "I hate politics". On the same day,  he posted a photograph of a T-shirt bearing the slogan "Born to Kill".

He is being held at Galveston County Jail on a charge of capital murder.

The shooter allegedly entered an art class and opened fire shortly before 08:00 (13:00 GMT).

"There was someone that walked in with a shotgun and started shooting," one eye witness told KTRK-TV, "and this girl got shot in the leg."

One student told local network KHOU-11 that a teacher who realised what was happening activated a fire alarm to evacuate the building.

Dakota Shrader, a student, told CBS News that everyone began running outside when the alarms went off.

First Lady Melania Trump tweeted: "My heart goes out of Santa Fe and all of Texas today."