Santa Fe High School shooting

Santa Fe HS shooting suspect still incompetent to stand trial, Galveston County DA's office say

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Santa Fe HS shooting suspect incompetent to stand trial, officials say

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the student accused of a 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School, is still incompetent to stand trial, according to officials.

SANTA FE, Texas (KTRK) -- Nearly five years after 10 people were killed in a shooting at Santa Fe High School, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the student accused of the act, is still incompetent to stand trial, according to the Galveston District Attorney's Office.

"The treating physicians at the North Texas State Hospital have reported that Santa Fe High School shooting defendant Dimitrios Pagourtzis has not yet been restored to competency to stand trial," a statement from the district attorney's office read. "They have requested that he be recommitted to their facility for up to 12 months so that they can continue their efforts to restore him to competency. This is extremely disappointing news, especially as we near the five-year anniversary of these tragic murders. Nevertheless, we remain committed to seeing this case tried and seeing that justice is done."

Nearly one year ago, in February 2022, a similar decision was made to keep Pagourtzis in a facility for 12 months.

In a statement, Pagourtzis' attorney, Nicholas R. Poehl, said, "It is difficult to see a path forward when the prospects for his restoration steadily diminish the longer he remains incompetent."

The shooting happened on May 18, 2018, at 7:30 a.m. Ten people, eight students and two teachers, were killed, and 13 others were wounded when Pagourtzis opened fire.

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