The parents of confessed Texas school shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis are being blamed for his deadly massacre — with at least one victim’s family filing a lawsuit this week, claiming the teen’s father didn’t secure his weapons properly.
Cops say Pagourtzis used a shotgun and pistol during his alleged shooting spree, which belonged to his dad and was reportedly kept in a closet.
In Texas, it’s illegal to keep guns out in the open or in easily accessible areas when children under 17 are around. There are exceptions, but only when the child is under parent supervision or hunting.
If a parent is caught disobeying the law and a weapon is fired, causing serious injury or death, they can be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to a year in jail.
The family of 17-year-old Chris Stone — who was killed during Pagourtzis’ rampage at Santa Fe High School, according to authorities — filed a lawsuit in Galveston County on Thursday, claiming that’s exactly what happened.
The move has been done in the past by the parents of shooting victims, with the most recent case coming after the Waffle House shooting in Nashville, Tennessee
Stone’s parents also allege in their suit that Pagourtzis’ mom and dad failed to warn the public about his “dangerous propensities” and didn’t get him proper mental health treatment.
Pagourtzis family attorney, Nicholas Poehl, told the Associated Press on Friday that he is only handling the criminal case against the teen — and declined comment on the civil suit.
He did not know if the parents were planning to hire another lawyer.
With Post wires