SANTA FE, Texas – A Galveston County judge has postponed the start of a trial in a civil lawsuit against the parents of the accused gunman responsible for the tragic shooting at Santa Fe High School six years ago. The trial, involving the parents of the shooter who killed eight students and two teachers, faces allegations from survivors and victims’ families asserting that the parents failed to secure their guns properly, leading to the atrocity. This case marks one of the first legal actions of its kind nationally, holding parents accountable for a mass shooting.
Originally scheduled to commence on May 28, the trial has been rescheduled by Galveston County Judge Jack Ewing to a later date in July. A pretrial conference is set for July 19, with the trial to begin on July 29. This impending trial presents an opportunity for survivors and relatives to confront the accused gunman’s parents in a legal setting, as the accused shooter, currently unfit to stand trial due to mental health issues, remains under confinement in a mental health facility.
Legal representatives for the victims and survivors are advocating for another assessment of the accused gunman’s mental health prior to the civil trial. The delay in the trial was prompted by the need to review evidence from the local district attorney’s office, handling criminal proceedings related to the shooting. Prosecutors have not brought criminal charges against the accused shooter’s parents, Antonios Pagourtizis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos, despite recent incidents holding parents criminally liable for similar circumstances.
Pagourtizis and Kosmetatos are scheduled for deposition in the civil case on June 20, as parents of one of the high school victims outlined in the lawsuit that the gunman accessed the weapons due to their failure to secure them adequately. This lawsuit reflects a growing trend in legal actions following mass shootings, seeking to address issues of gun safety and parental responsibility in preventing such tragedies. Moreover, in a separate development, Santa Fe victims’ parents reached a settlement with companies supplying ammunition to the shooter, underscoring the multifaceted legal battles arising from the devastating incident.