'You want a motive?': Chilling journal entries from suspected Santa Fe HS shooter read in court

In the third day of the trial, families of the victims got a look at previously unreleased video of the suspected shooter's plans.

ByPooja Lodhia

Friday, August 2, 2024

Chilling journal entries read in 3rd day of Santa Fe HS shooting trial

During the third day of the Santa Fe High School shooting civil trial, families of the victims read journal entries from the suspected shooter.

SANTA FE, Texas -- For the first time, family members of those killed and wounded in the Santa Fe High School mass shooting six years ago are getting an idea of the suspected shooter's motives.

On the third day of the trial, they watched a previously unreleased video of the suspected shooter describing his plans.

Eyewitness News can't show you the interviews due to a judge's order meant to protect evidence in future court proceedings, but ABC13's Pooja Lodhia was in court and watched Dimitrios Pagourtzis answer questions from police.

Lodhia said he never made eye contact and spoke very quickly, frantically even, while describing where he got and stored guns, ammunition, and explosives.

He also spoke of his hatred toward his classmates and relatives.

One journal entry presented by an attorney for the plaintiffs read, "I am so sick of being treated like a second class citizen. People treat me like I'm just some dumb animal they can mess without any repercussions. I'm tired of people treating me like some kind of lesser than and thinking they can get away with it. You people are playing with fire and are about to get burned."

Another entry read, "You want a motive? How about because the idea of pumping my classmates full of buckshot and watching them writhe on the ground in agony like the vermin they are is an exhilarating thought."

PREVIOUS STORY: Santa Fe HS victims' families rush out of court as civil trial testimony begins

For the first time since the 2018 shooting, testimony was given on the record about what happened inside Santa Fe High School during the massacre.

A third entry read, "I gave you people so long to redeem yourselves, but instead you rejected me and I've given up. I'm not going to love a world that doesn't love me back."

The criminal trial has been on hold because he has been found incompetent to stand trial.

On Thursday, jurors also heard from John Barnes, the first officer to confront the shooter.

He was shot in the arm.

"He fired at me from about 15 feet away. As soon as my arm came around the corner, I got hit by a shotgun and I backed up," he said.

He said he would never fully recover from his injuries.

Families of students killed in the Santa Fe High School shooting took the stand Wednesday during opening statements in a trial against the suspect's parents.

"None of us want to be reminded of this constantly," Barnes said. "You try to put that stuff aside and live your life as much as you can."

It was another emotional day for families who are suing the accused shooter and his parents.

They are asking for financial compensation in the killing but said money isn't their biggest motivator.

"It's all about accountability. And until we start learning from those mistakes, we're going to have more dead kids. We're going to have more dead teachers. And if we don't learn from it, that is going to get bigger and bigger," Rosie Yanas, whose son was killed, said.

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