Santa Fe school shooting: Texas gov., wife to attend service at church
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his wife, Cecilia Abbott, will attend a church service Sunday in Santa Fe, where 10 people were killed in a shooting at the high school Friday. At a vigil Friday night, Abbott said "we need to do more than just pray for the victims and their families."
Eight students and two teachers were killed Friday when a student opened fire at Santa Fe High School. Suspected shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis is facing capital murder charges, police said. His motive remains unclear.
Authorities said they discovered homemade explosive devices in the school and nearby, including pipe bombs, at least one Molotov cocktail and pressure-cooker bombs similar to those used in the Boston Marathon attack.
Abbott on Friday called the shooting "one of the most heinous attacks that we've ever seen in the history of Texas schools."
Abbott will play host to round-table discussions with parents, school leaders and lawmakers to explore remedies to gun violence in Texas, where eight mass killings have taken place in the past 50 years or so, CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reports. Abbott also wants to hear from gun-rights advocates.
Abbott said he would support regulations such as speeding up the background-check process so people who pose "immediate danger" can't purchase weapons, KHOU-TV reports. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who also joined Abbott in Santa Fe Friday, argued that the state can do more to harden targets like churches and schools.
Last year, 26 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Texas investigators said shortly after the shooting there had been a "domestic situation" between the shooter and his mother-in-law, who sometimes attended the church.