A jury in Galveston, Texas, recently ruled that the parents of Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the former student responsible for a school shooting that killed 10 people in 2018, cannot be held financially responsible for what happened. The victims of the shooting sought to hold the parents liable for failing to provide proper mental health support for their son and allowing him access to their guns. However, the jury found Dimitrios Pagourtzis himself responsible and awarded the families over $300 million in damages.
Authorities say Pagourtzis, who is now 23 and has been declared incompetent to stand trial, fatally shot eight students and two teachers at Santa Fe High School. While the parents were cleared of financial responsibility, they faced accusations of neglecting signs of their son’s deteriorating mental health.
The court case highlighted the importance of ensuring children feel safe both at home and at school. In a similar case in Michigan, Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted following a mass school shooting, with no criminal charges against Pagourtzis’ parents. The lawsuit was filed by relatives of the victims and wounded survivors of the Santa Fe attack, alleging the parents knew about their son’s struggles but failed to act.
The defense argued that while Pagourtzis planned the shooting, he was not in control of his actions due to severe mental illness. The parents testified during the trial, maintaining they were unaware of their son’s online purchases or missing firearms. The family kept guns in secure spaces, but Pagourtzis still managed to access them.
The trial brought to light the difficulties of monitoring a child’s mental health, and the importance of parents taking responsibility for their children’s well-being. Despite the tragic outcome, the jury’s ruling underscores the complex dynamics of parental accountability in cases of school shootings.
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