Suspected Santa Fe HS shooter's sister testifies about upbringing as parents' attorneys present case
GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The Santa Fe High School shooting civil trial continued on Monday after the attorneys for the victims rested their case last Friday.
The parents of the accused shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, are both being sued, with families of the victims alleging that, as parents, they should have both secured the family's guns and gotten their son mental health treatment.
On May 18, 2018, 10 people - eight students and two teachers - were fatally shot, and 13 others were wounded in the school shooting.
Pagourtzis was 17 years old at the time of the shooting. The Galveston District Attorney's Office has deemed him incompetent to stand trial, and he remains in custody at North Texas State Hospital.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Plaintiffs' attorneys rest case after grilling accused Santa Fe HS shooter's father
On Monday, Pagourtzis' father remained on the stand as a witness for the defense.
Last week, he testified for several hours on Thursday and Friday. He said he didn't know his son had mental issues, which attorneys argued were evident due to falling grades, antisocial behavior, and an obsession with weapons.
He continued with a similar testimony. His attorneys brought his gun safe and gun case into the courtroom. Pagourtzis' father testified that the case was kept in the living room, and the safe was kept in the garage. Both required a key to open, and Pagourtzis' father said only he and his wife knew where the key was kept. He said they had not given their children permission to open it but later found that Pagroutzis had opened it.
Pagourtzis' father said he took his son and daughter to the gun range twice when they were 11 or 12 years old, but Pagroutzis did not show any interest in guns, so he did not take him back.
He said his son had not shown signs of depression or mental illness and if he did he would have taken him to seek medical help.
Pagourtzis' father denied any responsibility in the shooting but said he wishes he would have been able to prevent what happened. He acknowledged that his son destroyed several lives on May 18, 2018.
When asked if he thought his son should be held accountable for what he did, he said he would leave that to a judge but that he destroyed his own life.
Pagourtzis' younger sister, Vasiliki Gerbsoti, who is now 20 years old, took the stand Monday afternoon and testified that neither of her parents were abusive. She testified that she and her brother had a standard upbringing.
She said she had not noticed any changes to Pagourtzis' behavior or personality before the shooting.
Throughout the nine days of trial, attorneys have brought up disturbing entries Pagourtzis wrote in his journal. Gerbsoti said she was unaware of his journal.
His sister said no one would have expected him to do what he's accused of doing.
Three months prior to the shooting at Santa Fe High School, 17 students and staff members were killed at Parkland High School in Florida. Gerbsoti said her mother spoke to her and Pagourtzis about it in the car on the day it happened.
"The only thing I can think is that he allowed stuff that he had gone through as a child to dictate the rest of his life and the life of others and how that should never happen," Gerbsoti said her mother told them.
Gerbsoti agreed that it was ironic that Pagourtzis was accused of doing the same thing shortly after.
She was on the stand for roughly two hours before she was allowed to step down.
This week, his parents' attorney will be arguing the school district should have done more.
SEE ALSO: 'I want to remember everything': Families hear more disturbing testimony in Santa Fe HS civil trial
"We feel that the school dropped the ball quite a bit. There are multiple things that they should have done differently, could have done differently, and didn't do," attorney Lori Laird said. "And we believe that if they had done these certain things, for example, the wearing of the duster and things like that. He never wore the duster at home."
The judge did not rule Monday on a motion as to whether Santa Fe ISD could be added to the civil case and also held liable for the shooting.
The trial is expected to last at least through the end of the week.
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