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Father of Texas Mass Killer Reveals What He Believes Was Behind the Deadly Massacre

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By The Blaze. The father of Santa Fe High School’s mass killer has spoken out on his beliefs as to why his son committed the atrocity that ended the lives of 10 people on Friday. . .

On Monday, the killer’s father told The Wall Street Journal that his son was a “good boy” and said that bullying was likely behind the cold and calculated execution of 10 people inside Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. . .

“I believe that’s what was behind [the massacre],” the father said.

The father said that his life as a Greek immigrant in the U.S. has been pleasant up to this point, noting that he left his village in northern Greece when he was just 12 years old. . .

“He never got into a fight with anyone. I don’t know what happened,” he told Greek Antenna TV, according to the Post. “I hope God helps me and my family understand. We are all devastated. It would have been better if he shot me than all those kids.” (Read more from “Father of Texas Mass Killer Reveals What He Believes Was Behind the Deadly Massacre” HERE)

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Texas Shooting Suspect Won’t Face Death Penalty, Could Be Paroled

By USA Today. The suspect in Friday’s school shooting may be considered an adult in Texas state courts, but he cannot face the death penalty, according to a 2005 federal Supreme Court ruling.

For 100 years, Texas has considered 17-year-olds to be adults when they commit crimes, according to research from The Marshall Project. And Dimitrios Pagourtzis was charged Friday as an adult with capital murder and aggravated assault on a peace officer.

But the 2005 high court ruling that bans execution of criminals younger than 18 and a 2012 ruling about juveniles facing life in prison mean that Pagourtzis could be up for parole after 40 years.

“The courts ruled based on the idea that those 17 and younger don’t have the cognitive development to appreciate right from wrong,” said Michael Radelet, a University of Colorado at Boulder sociology professor who has testified in more than 75 death-penalty cases. “Cases like this that are especially violent and an enigma make some people think they are more deserving of death, but the ruling is about the development of the juvenile brain.” (Read more from “Texas Shooting Suspect Won’t Face Death Penalty, Could Be Paroled” HERE)

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‘We’ve Devalued Life’: Texas Lt. Gov Says Abortion, Violent Games and Divorce Play Part in Shootings

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By ABC News. The Texas lieutenant governor, speaking two days after 10 people were killed in a school shooting in his state, said abortion, divorce and violent video games and movies show that ‘we have devalued life,’ which he pointed to as a cause of school shootings.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” Sunday, “We have devalued life, whether it’s through abortion, whether it’s the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games.”

Patrick continued, “Psychologists and psychiatrists will tell you that students are desensitized to violence, may have lost empathy for their victims by watching hours and hours of video violent games.”

He said, “the problem is multifaceted. It’s not any one issue. But we, again, we have to look at our culture of violence, just our violent society, our Facebook, our Twitter, the bullying of adults on adults, and children on children. We have to look at ourselves, George, it’s not about the guns, it’s about us.” . . .

The Republican lieutenant governor also said, “We can’t sit back and say, ‘It’s the gun.’ It’s us as a nation, George … On this Sunday morning, when we all go to church and pray or go to synagogue or the mosque or wherever we go, let’s look inward at ourselves as a nation.” (Read more from “‘We’ve Devalued Life’: Texas Lt. Gov Says Abortion, Violent Games and Divorce Play Part in Shooting” HERE)

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Sheriff: Texas Deputies and Alleged Santa Fe Gunman Exchanged Fire for 25 Minutes

By Fox 6. A shooting at a Texas high school lasted for a terrifying 30 minutes on Friday. For 25 of those minutes, officers and the gunman engaged in a gunfight, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset told CNN Sunday.

The first shots were fired not long after classes began around 7:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. ET), officials said. Officers arrived to the Santa Fe High School art lab section about four minutes into the shooting, Trochesset said, and engaged the shooter right away.

A total of 10 people — eight students and two teachers — were killed and 13 were injured as a result of the shooting. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, was identified as the shooter. He was armed with a shotgun and a .38 caliber handgun.

When asked whether all of the victims were shot by Pagourtzis, Trochesset said authorities will have to learn that after the medical examiner autopsies are complete.

There is a “decent amount of cameras in the school,” Trochesset said, so a lot of video does exist. Investigators are going through all of the video and putting together a timeline, Trochesset said. (Read more from “Sheriff: Texas Deputies and Alleged Santa Fe Gunman Exchanged Fire for 25 Minutes” HERE)

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Texas Governor Says School Shooter Illegally Possessed Weapons

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By The Daily Wire. On Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a press conference that the alleged 17-year-old shooter who killed several of his classmates at Santa Fe High School was illegally in possession of his weapons.

According to Abbott, the shooter was in illegal possession of a .38 revolver and a shotgun that he obtained from his father.

(Read more from “Texas Governor Says School Shooter Illegally Possessed Weapons” HERE)

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Student Says School Shooter Was Picked on by Coaches, Wore Trench Coat Daily

By The Daily Wire. On Friday, a student told a local Texas news station that the alleged Santa Fe High School shooter wore a trench coat every day in the hot Texas weather and was picked on by coaches.

A reporter for Click2Houston interviewed an unidentified student from the school and asked him what he knew about the alleged shooter.

“He’s been picked on by coaches before for smelling bad and stuff like that and he doesn’t really talk to very many people,” the student said. “He wears a trench coat every day and it’s like 90 degrees out here.”

“I heard that he wore a shirt today and it said ‘born to kill,’ the shirt he was wearing, I don’t even know how the school can allow that,” the student continued.

The reporter then asked the student about his reaction to the school’s handling of the shooting, asking him if they handled it appropriately. (Read more from “Student Says School Shooter Was Picked on by Coaches, Wore Trench Coat Daily” HERE)

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Bump Stock Inventor’s Company Shutting down Its Website and Will Cease Taking Orders Next Month

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Slide Fire Solutions based out of Moran, Texas has announced it is shutting down its website and will cease taking orders for the product it invented and manufactures: bump stocks.

In a statement on its website, Slide Fire said, “On Sunday, May 20, 2018 at midnight CDT, Slide Fire will cease taking orders for its products and shut down its website. Orders places prior to May 20th, 2018 will all be processed and shipped. We thank you for your support.”

The bump stock firearm accessory gained national attention after it was utilized during a mass murder in Las Vegas last fall. A bump stock device is used to increase the firing rate of semi-automatic weapons.

Shortly after the killings, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence teamed up with Las Vegas law firm Eglet Prince to announce a class-action lawsuit against manufacturers, marketers and sellers of bump stocks; Slide Fire was included as a defendant.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gave Slide Fire the go-ahead to produce bump stocks in 2010, in light of the fact that the agency has no authority over firearm accessories. But in the aftermath of the Las Vegas murders, the NRA raised eyebrows by expressing their support in regulating bump stocks. The ATF is currently exploring options for banning the devices. (Read more from “Bump Stock Inventor’s Company Shutting down Its Website and Will Cease Taking Orders Next Month” HERE)

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Woman Calls Cops on Man at the Park Because of His Pro-Gun Shirt

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By Bizpac Review. A Texas woman called the police when she became suspicious of a man at a children’s’ playground.

But the man, a father who was there with his own two daughters, had done nothing wrong except wear a T-shirt that offended the woman.

Troy Johnston, who was at a Benbrook playground where his four and six-year old daughters were playing, was legally and openly carrying his firearm on a holster on his hip, according to Blue Lives Matter. But it wasn’t the gun that set the woman off, it was Johnston’s shirt which read, “I’ll control my guns, you control your kids.”

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A man and his family reportedly approached Johnston a short time after he had been there letting the father know a woman was “fuming” over Johnston’s shirt and the fact that he was armed.

“I thanked him for letting me know, and continued playing with my kids,” Johnson said, before another family approached him and asked to read what his shirt said. (Read more from “Woman Calls Cops on Man at the Park Because of His Pro-Gun Shirt” HERE)

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Woman Calls Police Over Man Wearing Pro-Gun T-Shirt at Park

By Blue Lives Matter. A short while later, another man and his family approached Johnston, and asked to read his shirt, he said.

Johnston showed him his shirt, at which point the man warned him that his father-in-law had just been harassed by woman in the parking lot, and that she was contacting police regarding Johnson’s attire.

The man told Johnston that he didn’t know “what was wrong with her,” and that he actually “felt more secure knowing there was someone there that would protect them,” Johnston said.

Although he had intended to leave prior to his conversation with the second man, Johnston said he opted to wait for police once he became aware that they had likely been called to the area.

According Benbrook Police Department (BPD) Corporal J. Reese, a woman contacted the department at approximately 3:21 p.m., and reported a “suspicious person” with a “gun holstered to his chest,” was wearing a shirt that read “You control your kids, I’ll control my guns.” (Read more from “Woman Calls Police Over Man Wearing Pro-Gun T-Shirt at Park” HERE)

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Councilwoman Triggered by Teen’s TRUMP Shirt, Faces Charge for Berating Group of ‘Scared’ Girls

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By Bizpac Review. A Texas councilwoman is facing misdemeanor charges after a MAGA shirt sparked an anti-Trump outburst.

West University Place Councilwoman Kellye Burke was accused of yelling obscenities Saturday at a group of teenage girls over a Trump T-shirt, KPRC2 reported.

Investigators at the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office filed a “class C misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge” against Burke, a volunteer for @MomsDemand.

The girls, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, were confronted by the councilwoman while they waited on line to buy cookies at a local shop, according to KPRC2.

“A tall, short-haired blond woman came up to them and screamed, ‘Grab em by the (expletive) girls!’” the father of one of the girls said, adding that the teens tried to laugh off the incident at first. (Read more from “Councilwoman Triggered by Teen’s TRUMP Shirt, Faces Charge for Berating Group of ‘Scared’ Girls” HERE)

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West U Councilwoman Accused of Yelling Obscenities at Teen Wearing Trump Shirt Releases Statement

By Click 2 Houston. Investigators at the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office on Wednesday filed a disorderly conduct charge against West University Place Councilwoman Kellye Burke, after accusations that she berated a group of teenage girls over a Trump T-shirt . . .

The father said the girls left without responding to the woman. He said one of the girls said she noticed that Burke had taken a picture of her.

“They were scared,” the father said. “They were absolutely scared. My little girl essentially wanted to know if this woman was going to hurt her.” . . .

He said Burke reached out to his wife, and met with and apologized to both of them.

“We accepted her apology,” the father said. “I would be just as angry if any parent said this to my child but as an elected official I’ll let her voters handle this matter. (Read more from “West U Councilwoman Accused of Yelling Obscenities at Teen Wearing Trump Shirt Releases Statement” HERE)

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A Megachurch Just Did Something HUGE for U.S. Families

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A Texas megachurch has blessed more than 4,000 families within a 20-mile radius of each of its five campuses this Easter by paying off their medical debt totaling more than $10.5 million.

Stephen Hayes, senior pastor of Covenant Church based in Carrollton, announced during his Easter Sunday sermon that thanks to generous giving by church members, the church had enough extra funds to donate $100,000 to an organization that purchases medical debt for pennies on the dollar and forgives individuals and families of their debt.

“What if we bought up some of this medical debt and write on the letters, ‘We are Covenant Church and we are local in this area and we can serve you in any way and we would love to be your church. But even if we don’t get to meet you, just know that God loves you,'” Hayes said . . .

Initially, the church wanted to designate $50,000 to veterans with medical debt within a 20-mile radius of each of the campuses and $50,000 to families with medical debt within 20 miles . . .

“Right now, there is no veteran in our radius where we minister that will have [medical] debt from this day forward,” Hayes said, adding that many of them suffered injuries caused by war. “It is already paid. Really cool.” (Read more from “A Megachurch Just Did Something HUGE for U.S. Families” HERE)

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Jury Finds Democrat Guilty of Multiple Felonies

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On Thursday afternoon, a Democratic Texas state senator was found guilty on 11 felony charges, including “multiple counts of fraud and money laundering,” reports the Texas Tribune.

State Sen. Carlos Uresti was charged last year for his role in what authorities called a “Ponzi Scheme” involving a bankrupt oilfield services company called FourWinds Logistics. Uresti, the Texas Tribune says, “used his prestigious reputation to lend credibility to an unknown company; several investors testified that Uresti’s presence reassured them that their money would be safe with FourWinds.”

Uresti served as general counsel for FourWinds, owned 1% of the company, and earned a commission for every investor he brought into the scheme, authorities say. But when investors lost most of their money — for some, hundreds of thousands of dollars — they went to Texas law enforcement to investigate the company . . .

Uresti will now face jail time on the 11 charges, which include felony fraud and money laundering. He also became ineligible to continue to serve as a state legislator, and he will be disbarred. Texas Democrats have not yet called for Uresti to resign, but issued a “strong rebuke” following the verdict, saying that “no one is above the law.” (Read more from “Jury Finds Democrat Guilty of Multiple Felonies” HERE)

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Explosive Device Found at Border Bridge to Texas

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Mexican authorities have confirmed the discovery of an active improvised explosive device (IED) at one of the international bridges connecting the border cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas–the headquarters of the ruthless cartel known as Los Zetas.

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office issued a statement in regards to the recent discovery of the IED. The information released by Mexican authorities does not reveal the date that the bomb was left at the bridge, but confirmed that the explosive was active. The IED was left at the Las Americas International Bridge, also known as Bridge One. Neither the City of Laredo nor U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released any information in relation to the IED at the port of entry.

Mexican authorities de-activated the explosive device and removed it from the pedestrian lane of the bridge. While bomb threats are not unheard of at the various international bridges in Tamaulipas where cartels often flex their muscle; the discovery of an actual explosive device at the bridge is a first of its kind.

The border city of Nuevo Laredo is under the control of the Cartel Del Noreste faction Los Zetas cartel; a violent, transnational criminal organization that uses the Texas border city of Laredo as one of its main corridors into Texas. (Read more from “Explosive Device Found at Border Bridge to Texas” HERE)

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This Is the First Person Scheduled to Be Executed in 2018

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Texas is set to execute a convicted serial-killer known as the “Tourniquet Killer” Thursday. It will be the first execution of a U.S. inmate in 2018.

Anthony Shore, 55, was scheduled for execution by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, at 6 p.m., Reuters reported Thursday.

Shore was convicted in 2004 of raping and/or murdering five girls and young women, using a homemade tourniquet to strangle them.

His gruesome crime spree took place during the 1980s and 1990s, and it is unlikely that there will be last-minute appeals to save his life.

His execution had already been scheduled for October 2017, but prosecutors postponed it because Shore was in an investigation regarding another inmate.

“Anthony Shore is the worst of the worst, a serial killer who took pleasure in his victims’ suffering,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. “Even Shore’s own family believes the death penalty is appropriate for his crimes.”

The oldest of his victims was 21-year-old Maria del Carmen Estrada, whose body was found nude in a Dairy Queen drive through in 1992.

Next by age was 16-year-old Dana Sanchez, murdered in 1995. He killed 14-year-old Laurie Tremblay in 1986 and raped an unnamed 14-year-old in 1993. His youngest victim was Dana Rebollar, a 9-year-old whom he raped and murdered in 1994.

Shore’s family has little sympathy for him, and his sister, Gina Shore, has gone so far as to say there must have been more victims than the five he’s known to have killed, according to the Houston Chronicle. As a result, she believes her brother’s execution is just and necessary.

“I think it will give closure. Then when people ask what about him, we can just say he’s dead,” Gina said. “I know in my heart without a doubt that there are more. There had to have been other girls.”

Mr. Shore avoided detection for 20 years after his last recorded murder and was only brought down as a result of his DNA being put on file in 1998 after he was convicted of molesting his daughters.

Police checked his DNA against cold cases and was able to match him with a murder. Shore has used everything in his power to avoid the death penalty since that time for nearly 20 years.

His most recent defense was that he’d experienced a personality-affecting brain injury when he got into a car crash in 1981, an excuse which his younger daughter, Tiffany Hall, isn’t buying.

“I think it’s a load of crap,” said Hall, now 32. “The only reason I can see him wanting a stay is so he can torture his victims and his family by being alive.”

Shore remained remarkably chipper during his time on death row, as was evidenced by his relentless correspondence with his family.

“I will likely get a stay, but ya’ just never know,” Shore wrote to his father in July 2017. “I’d prefer to live a bit longer but am ready if it’s God’s will.” (For more from the author of “This Is the First Person Scheduled to Be Executed in 2018” please click HERE)

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

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