Santa Fe High School shooting suspect's family releases statement

SANTA FE, Texas (FOX 26) - The unthinkable happened on Friday morning with students in their first period class at Santa Fe High School. A suspect who police have identified as Dimitrios Pagortzis, 17, fire gunshots on the inside that classroom.

"This is a very young kid, he's in very trying circumstances to say the least, saying he's doing well surely wouldn't be accurate right now, but there is a long way to go," says attorney Nicholas Poehl.

Poehl and fellow attorney Robert Barfield, who represent the Pagortzis family, spoke with the public after the suspect attended an arraignment hearing on Friday where he was granted no bond. Court documents show the high school junior told police that he purposely did not shoot students he liked so that he could have his story told. He also waived his rights to remain silent and is said to be cooperating with police.

FOX 26 News asked the defense attorneys if police would look into mental competency.

"In a case like this, of course, you can't do this and not have something going on, but you know we have got a lot of work to do before we are even ready to really speak intelligently about that," adds Poehl.

The teen's attorneys also spoke about his parents.

"Very tough day for them," describes Poehl. "I think every parent probably instinctively knows they don't know everything about their kid, but when you find out something like this today, it's extremely hard. For those out there that are watching, try to remember these people are victims too. They didn't know, they didn't expect and they surely couldn't predict, so prayers to everyone in this whole mess."

The attorney for the Pagourtzis family has released the following statement on the family's behalf: