Texas School Tragedy

Texas: A gunman opened fired in a school killing 10 people, including a Pakistani student on a foreign exchange programme.

On Friday morning, a 17-year-old student, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, armed with gun stormed Santa Fe High School, about 30 miles southeast of Houston, Texas, and opened fire in an art class, said officials.

He killed 8 students and 2 teachers and left 10 more injured before surrendering to police who arrived about 10 minutes after the rampage started.

Reports suggest the people he killed were not random but targeted.

One of the victim Shana Fisher "had 4 months of problems from this boy," her mother Sadie Rodriguez reported to Los Angeles Times.

"He kept making advances on her and she repeatedly told him no." before she finally embarrassed him in class.

"A week later he opens fire on everyone he didn't like," Rodriguez wrote.

The attacker said “he did not shoot students he did like so he could have his story told,” in a probable cause affidavit.

Pagourtzis classmates described him as a quiet loner who played on the football team.

The family members said they are "as shocked and confused as anyone by these events that occurred."

Pagourtzis is a "smart, quiet, sweet boy," they said.

Sabika Sheikh was visiting the US under a State
Department-funded programme

Among the victims was Sabika Sheikh, a 17 year old Pakistani student on a foreign exchange programme.

"She was extraordinary, genius, and talented," Abdul Aziz, her father, told reporters at their home in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal neighbourhood.

"My daughter never came fourth [in class] - only ever first, second or third.

"At such a young age she would say such huge things, that sometimes I couldn't believe it. Even now I cannot believe that my daughter is gone," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.