GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — Tears filled the courtroom Tuesday as emotional testimony continued in the civil trial against the parents of accused Santa Fe High shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis.
Pagourtzis, now 23, has repeatedly been ruled incompetent to stand trial. Attorneys representing survivors and victims' families now seek legal recourse against his parents, Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos.
Eight students and two teachers were killed, while 13 other people were wounded in the 2018 mass shooting at the school in Galveston County.
Shooting survivor Trenton Beazley was a 15-year-old sophomore when the massacre took place. He took the stand Tuesday for cross-examination after delivering an initial testimony Monday.
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Beazley explained that he suffered a graze wound to his back while barricaded in a closet with other students. He testified that he still experiences PTSD and trauma-related pseudo-seizures.
When asked by a plaintiff’s attorney, Beazley said the accused shooter and his “negligent” parents shared responsibility for the massacre. He referenced “signs and symptoms” that he believes parents should have noticed, including a plagiarized school paper.
“They’re seeing the signs and the symptoms of their son, I don’t want to say deteriorating, but not being the normal kid that he is. I can say, if that was my parents, they’d be asking are you okay, what’s going on, how are you, let’s talk,” he said.
Defense attorney Lori Laird pushed back and questioned how exactly Pagourtzis' parents were negligent. She claimed the accused shooter never failed a class or received a truancy notice. She also referenced multiple Amazon purchases Pagourtzis made and argued that he hid the purchases from his parents.
The relatives of three different shooting victims also testified Tuesday.
RELATED: Shooting survivors, parents of student killed in 2018 Santa Fe HS shooting testify in civil trial
Shannan Claussen took the stand to speak about her son, Riley Garcia, who was 15 at the time of the shooting. Rhonda Hart’s daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was a 14-year-old freshman when she was shot and killed.
Both mothers told jurors about their experience on the day of the shooting, referencing the “chaotic” reunification process in which they thought they’d be connected with their children. It took hours for both children to be confirmed dead, according to their testimony.
When asked by a plaintiff’s attorney, Claussen and Hart both said they believe Pagourtzis, his parents, Santa Fe High School, and ammunition seller Lucky Gunner all share responsibility in the shooting.
Recie Tisdale, the son of shooting victim Cynthia Tisdale, spoke about his mother in a tearful testimony at the end of the day. She was one of two substitute teachers killed by the gunman.
Tisdale, a former League City police officer, told jurors that he responded to the May 2018 shooting. He explained that his experiences during and after the massacre contributed to his decision to leave the police department.
Former Galveston County Precinct 2 Constable Jimmy Fullen was also called to testify.