by Souf R. and Grace C.

Friends and family gather to mourn and remember those who were lost in the Santa Fe High School shooting.

On Friday May 18, 2018, ten people were shot dead at Santa Fe High School in Texas. 31 lives have been taken in school shootings so far this year, including staff and students, and this was the 22nd school shooting in 2018.

This shooting was extremely hectic, with alarms sounding and students urgently trying to run and escape the scene where gunshots were blasting.

Logan Roberts, an 18 year old senior, experienced the whole event. During his first period class, Logan heard the fire alarm and rushed outside, where he heard two loud sounds which he described as “like when you kick a trash can.” He saw teachers running out of the building telling his classmates to get back and run when he heard another three sounds. Logan said that he knew the shooter and he was in two classes with him. “It’s very odd. I’ve talked to him. He’s a nice kid,” Logan stated.

There was a 25-minute shootout between the shooter and some deputies. In the end, eight students and two teachers were shot and killed. Authorities are not sure if they were all killed by the shooter or by the deputies in the crossfire. The sheriff also clarified that some of the victims may have been killed by pipe bombs, not just by the shooter.

When he heard about this incident, President Donald Trump said, “My administration is determined to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools, and do everything we can to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and to others.” He had already said this a few months ago, after the shooting in Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida but he still hasn’t acted on his words.

The suspect, 17 year old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, is now in custody. He has been charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault against a public servant. Currently, he is being held captive with no bail.

The Texas city mourns and additional debates on gun rights have opened up in the nation. On Sunday, the students and townsfolk gather for a prayer vigil to remember the victims. This was a devastating tragedy which once again opened our eyes to see that our laws must change. The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has announced that he will be hosting the first roundtable for school safety on May 22, 2018.

Sources: CNN, BBC, NPR, and The New York Times