A retired Houston police detective has been named as the hero who confronted a gunman who had opened fire at a Texas high school on Friday morning.
Police said John Barnes was inside Santa Fe High School when the shooter, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, stormed into an art class and began firing at students and teachers.
Barnes, 49, quickly jumped into action confronting the gunman. Authorities said the married father was shot in the upper arm during the confrontation and was dragged to safety by Santa Fe police chief Art Acevedo.
Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick said during a news conference on Friday that Acevedo was going to the school when gunfire erupted. Acevedo pulled a wounded Barnes away from the shooter as he opened up on the suspect.
Retired Houston police detective John Barnes (pictured on the right with his wife, Ashley) was identified as the hero who confronted gunman Dimitrios Pagourtzis
Barnes was shot in the upper arm and transported to the hospital by Life Flight. He is in critical condition. Barnes is pictured above with his family
Dimitrios Pagourtzis was confirmed to the the shooter who opened fire at Santa Fe High School, where he was a junior
Specific details on Barnes’ interaction with Pagourtzis has not been revealed.
Barnes, who is being hailed a hero, was critically wounded during the shooting and was transported to University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston by Life Flight.
As of Friday afternoon, he was still in the operating room.
‘Went in around 9.20am and had been there since,’ reporter Natalie Hee tweeted. ‘Sustained gunshot wound to elbow – possible in artery & bone in arm.’
Hospital staff said Barnes lost a lot of blood and had to be resuscitated before going into surgery. Doctors said they were unsure how long he would be in the operating room.
‘Just left @utmbhealth Galveston. On behalf of @SantaFeISD Police Officer John Barnes family, thank you for your prayers. John is hanging in there & the family is very hopeful. They hope to have additional information released shortly,’ Acevedo wrote on Twitter.
Barnes retired from the Houston Police Department just four months ago. He started working as a resource officer with Santa Fe Independent School District one day after leaving the Houston department.
According to Click 2 Houston, Barnes started as a jailer with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office in 1991. The following year he was appointed a peace officer with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.
He left in August 1993 and was sworn in with the Houston Police Department in November 1994. Barnes began his career at the Southwest Patrol before he moved into investigations in 2005.
Acevedo said Barnes was known for his tireless work in Houston Crimes Against Children task force.
The teen, clad in a ‘Born to Kill’ t-shirt, opened fire killing nine students and one teacher
10 other people, including Barnes, were injured during the Friday morning rampage. Family members are seen above outside the Alamo Gym in Texas
Police said Pagourtzis stormed into a first-period art class and yelled ‘Surprise’ while brandishing his farther’s shotgun and pistol. Devastated family members are seen outside the Alamo Gym on Friday
Pagourtzis later surrendered when confronted by police, who say he backed out of his original plan to commit suicide at the end of the massacre
‘Today, our community suffered a terrible tragedy at Santa Fe High School. Words cannot express the sorrow in our hearts for those we have lost,’ school district superintendent Dr. Leigh Wall said
Barnes was one of 10 people injured in the massacre. He is said to have suffered the most critical injuries.
Nine students and one teacher were killed in the shooting when Pagourtzis, a junior at the school, stormed into a first-period art class and yelled ‘Surprise’ while brandishing his father’s shotgun and pistol.
The teen, clad in a ‘Born to Kill’ t-shirt, then opened fire gunning down ten people.
He later surrendered when confronted by police, who say he backed out of his original plan to commit suicide at the end of the massacre, but not before planting explosives around the school.
Police subsequently released a mugshot of dead-eyed Pagourtzis who is being held without bond in the Galveston County jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated assault of a peace officer.
Pagourtzis is being held without bond in the Galveston County jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated assault of a peace officer
Officials are also questioning two other students who were detained after the shooting. They have not been named.
Police are now trying to piece together what motive ‘quiet’ Pagourtzis had for carrying out the shooting, the 22nd school shooting in 2018 alone.
On his now-deleted Facebook page, Pagourtzis shared a photo of a black T-shirt with the words ‘Born to Kill’ printed across the front on April 30. The suspect is believed to have been wearing the same shirt and combat-style boots when carrying out the massacre.
Other photos shared on Pagourtzis’s page the same day in April depicted a dark-colored trenchcoat festooned with various insignia, including the Nazi Iron Cross, which the teen wrote stood for ‘bravery.’
Additional patches on the garb included the rising sun, a Communist hammer and sickle pin and a depiction of the idol Baphomet, which Pagourtzis said symbolized ‘Evil.’
A week prior, a photo showing a handgun and a knife appeared on an Instagram account associated with Pagourtzis. The page has since been taken down.
Students at Santa Fe High told NBC News that Pagourtzis wore a trenchcoat to school every day.
Dustin Severin, 17, told KPRC-TV he saw Pagourtzis in the hallway before the shooting wearing his ‘usual outfit.’
Severin said the teen had allegedly been picked on by football coaches ‘for smelling bad’,’ and he described Pagourtzis as someone who kept to himself.
Pagourtzis was a member of the school’s junior varsity football team and danced with a locla Greek Orthodox church.
Tristen Patterson, 16, who introduced himself as a friend of Pagourtzis’, said the teen had an interest in guns and war simulation video games, but had never talked about killing people.
One student said the shooter, who was on the school’s junior varsity football team, was allegedly being bullied by coaches for ‘smelling bad’. Family members are pictured praying outside Arcadia First Baptist Christian School
Police are now trying to piece together what motive ‘quiet’ Pagourtzis had for carrying out the shooting
School staff members sit in a school bus to be transported to another school after a shooting
Patterson also claimed that the high school junior did not show signs of bullying, but would sometimes enter the classroom ‘acting a little bit down or sad. A little bit sluggish.’
At a press conference this afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the suspect used his father’s legally owned shotgun and .38-revolver, but it’s not clear whether the father knew his son had taken them.
According to the governor, explosive devices including a molotov cocktail had been found in Pagourtzis’ home in Alvin and a vehicle as well as around the school.
The school district released a statement Friday afternoon.
‘Today, our community suffered a terrible tragedy at Santa Fe High School. Words cannot express the sorrow in our hearts for those we have lost. As I write this message, our campus remains an active crime scene,’ Dr. Leigh Wall wrote in part.
‘Like you, I have many questions about this horrific event. Those answers will come in time as this methodical, thorough investigation moves forward. You have my word that you will remain informed and involved as we cope with this event together as a family.
This is only the first of many messages you will receive from me as out team seeks to keep you informed, Today is a day to begin mourning those we have lost and nursing those who are hurt. We are in this together.’