Santa Fe shooting: Victims named as community mourns another American massacre

'I was sent to school. Not war. Why do both have the same result?'

The community is the latest to experience the horror of a massacre (AP)

As yet another American community grapples with the pain and heartbreak after a mass shooting at their high school, the names of those who were killed in Santa Fe, Texas are being released by their friends and families as they attempt to make sense of a tragedy that has visited the rural community outside Houston.

Among those identified have been a substitute teacher who died trying to help students get away when a gunman opened fire just after classes started, a Pakistani exchange student, and a school athlete who friends remembered as the life of any party with a devotion to protecting his siblings.

Ten people have been confirmed dead following the southeastern Texas shooting on Friday morning, alongside 10 others who were injured. Authorities had yet to officially identify the victims, but family of some began to identify their lost loved ones on social media.

“With a broken heart and a soul that just can’t process all this right now, I have to announce my niece was one of the fatalities,” Sylvia Pritchett, the aunt of 15-year-old victim Angelique Ramirez, wrote on Facebook. “Please keep all the families in your thoughts, and hug your children tightly.”

After the shooting shattered the daily routine in southeastern Texas, stories of students fleeing the scene began to pour out. Meanwhile, just a week after prom and two before graduation, families waited for hours to hear if their missing loved ones were alive, while authorities searched for clues to explain the massacre while pushing forward with charges against the 17-year-old student they say became a murderer Friday.

At a candlelight vigil Friday evening, the community came together to cry and remember those dead. Student survivors posted tributes to their lost friends online, and repeatedly said they felt like they were in a living nightmare. Meanwhile, the school baseball team looked ahead to continuing its state playoff run Saturday, dedicating their efforts to the scarred community they now represent with fresh urgency.

"I was sent to school. Not war. Why do both have the same result?" one student, 18-year-old senior JoElla Kilgore, said Saturday in a tweet.

Family said that Cynthia Tisdale, a substitute teacher in her mid-60s who had been married to her husband for nearly 40 years, was among those dead. A relative said she had planned one day to retire and become a full time grandmother. Ann Perkins, 64, another substitute teacher, was also confirmed by family to have died.

“Love you aunt Cynthia, you’ll never be forgotten,” a niece wrote online.

Seventeen-year-old Jared Black was remembered by family as a a young man with varying interests, from wolves, to wrestling, to anime, and art.

Shana Fischer’s mother said that her daughter — who had recently turned 16 — had been killed, and told the Houston Chronicle she was a “beautiful, funny, smart, and talented girl.”

The Pakistani embassy announced that Sabika Sheikh, an 18-year-old exchange student set to return home this summer, was killed in the shooting.

Christopher Stone’s father said that his 17-year-old son, another victim, was protective of his siblings, even though he was the baby of the family, according to the New York Times.

Rhonda Hart, the mother of Kimberly Vaughan, said that she was “heartbroken” while confirming her daughter’s death, and made a heartfelt plea online for change to America’s gun laws that allow these tragedies to continually touch communities all across the nation.

“Folks — call your damn senators. Call your congressmen,” Ms Hart wrote on Facebook. “We need GUN CONTROL. WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR KIDS.”

Police have identified 17-year-old Dimities Pagourtzis as the suspected shooter, and say that he admitted to the killing after surrendering to police at the high school. He is said to have had used a shotgun and revolver, which police suspect he was able to take from his father. Authorities also said they found multiple explosive devices in and around the school, and urged the public to call 911 if they find any suspicious packages.

A statement released by his family said they were "as shocked and confused as anyone else" and would cooperate with the authorities.

The alleged shooter has been charged on capital murder charges, as well as charges for aggravated assault of a police officer.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said during a speech Friday that, unlike recent mass shootings in places like Parkland, Florida, and Sutherland Springs, Texas, the shooter did not appear to have behaved in a suspicious way before the shooting. Students in the small community described him as quiet and an athlete, and said they had not suspected he would be capable of the cold blooded murder he has been charged with.

Several blood drives have been set up in the community to help those who are injured as they continue to receive surgery for their wounds.

“Our community has suffered a terrible tragedy,” Santa Fe Independent School District Superintendent Leigh Wall wrote in a statement Friday. “We are all feeling the overwhelming grief of this horrific event.”

Mr Pagourtzis is said to have told investigators that he did not shoot people that he liked, saying that he wants his story to be told. When arraigned following the shooting he was denied bond, and requested a court-appointed defence attorney.