Santa Fe High School Shooting: A Tragedy

Another tragedy happened at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas on May 18th. A student of this school carried a shotgun and revolver, then proceeded to shoot at students and faculty. As a result, 8 students and 2 teachers were killed, with 13 others were injured. This is the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. since the Stoneman Douglas school shooting in February.

One victim was a Pakistani exchange student, Sabika, who had high hopes for America and aimed to become a diplomat. Her death caused national awareness in Pakistan and her body was recently brought back to her home country. Her family is devastated; according to the Guardian, her father said that his heart drowns when he thinks about the accident, and says that her daughter was afraid of needles even. Her uncle calls for gun control in the U.S. after the tragedy, “We hope that her death will provide a basis to bring a halt to the unabated menace of guns.”

The suspected shooter was Dimitrios Pargourtzis, who is 17 years old. Interestingly, Dimitrios had no previous criminal records. Family and peers claimed that he was a quiet student, and that “he is not the person you would expect to shoot a school”. He always wore a trench coat to school, and was a player on the football team. His dad, Antonios Pargourtzis, thinks that Dimitrios was mistreated in school possibly by his peers or teachers. Antonios legally owned guns, and his son stole them that day before going to school. On Dimitrios’s Facebook account, he posted pictures of shirts with words on them that suggested killing and violence. His childhood friend states that he has been publicly embarrassed in school, but was always kind and supportive.

This incident again will spark the debate about gun control. In my opinion, I think people should not own guns because they are harmful and will cause tragedies such as this one, with many innocent lives taken away. The background of the suspect also reminds people that anyone can commit crimes. I think parents and teachers should care about the mental health of students more, so they can prevent students from revenging society.