GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — On Thursday, a judge set a trial date for late May in a lawsuit filed by survivors and families of victims killed in the Santa Fe High School shooting in May 2018.
The plaintiffs say the parents of accused shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis should have done more to stop the shooting from happening, including preventing access to the father’s legally owned shotgun and revolver used to kill 10 people and wound 13 others.
In January, the accused gunman was recently deemed incompetent to stand trial in the criminal case and recommitted to a state hospital for another year.
“We have not received any justice through our legal system,” said Flo Rice, a substitute teacher who was shot.
On Thursday in Galveston, Judge Jack Ewing, County Court at Law 3, set a trial date for the families’ civil lawsuit for the week of May 28.
“There’s no reason that it can’t go forward,” Ewing said after announcing his decision. “It’s been too long.”
Ewing ordered one last round of mediation and a pre-trial hearing on May 17 before the start of any trial.
“It’s something that we’ve all been waiting for,” said Rosie Yanas, the mother of victim Chris Stone. “It has been too long.”
Also in court, Ron Rodgers, one of the lawyers for the parents of Pagourtzis, removed himself from the case for undisclosed reasons.
“Have you talked to your clients?” Ewing asked Rodgers.
“I have, judge,” replied Rodgers. “I’ve spoken with them and let them know that I do need to withdraw.”
Still, the victims’ families’ lawyer, Clint McGuire, said he’s confident the case will still go to trial in May.
And this week, after the mother of a Michigan school shooter was found guilty of giving her troubled son access to a gun, these families are hoping for the same in Texas in their civil case.
“Seeing that four families got accountability in Oxford, that’s an amazing thing,” said Yanas. “I hope that other people will see that this is the right thing to do. We need to give our victims their rights back.”
The accused gunman’s parents cannot be criminally charged over their son’s access to weapons because he was 17 at the time of the shooting. Texas law only applies to children under 17.
In February 2023, survivors and victims’ families settled a separate civil lawsuit with the online company that sold ammunition to the gunman.