A jury ruled on Monday that the parents of a former student, who fatally shot 10 individuals and injured many more at Santa Fe High School in Texas in 2018, are not responsible for their son’s actions.

During a three-week civil trial, survivors and relatives of the victims alleged that Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos were negligent by not securely storing their firearms and by dismissing warning signs indicating their son might commit a violent act. The jury instead held Dimitrios Pagourtzis and an online ammunition retailer, Lucky Gunner, accountable, awarding $330 million in damages.

Lucky Gunner’s CEO, Jake Felde, stated that the company “isn’t responsible for paying any monetary damages awarded by the jury” since it previously reached a separate settlement last year and was not involved in the Texas trial.

On May 18, 2018, authorities reported that 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis opened fire, killing eight students and two teachers and injuring 13 others. He faced capital murder charges but was deemed incompetent to stand trial. He was a defendant in the civil case but did not attend the hearings.

This civil lawsuit is particularly relevant as the U.S. confronts issues of gun violence. There is a growing trend of holding parents and adults accountable for neglecting warning signs that could lead to mass shootings.

In Virginia, an assistant principal was charged with child abuse for failing to prevent a shooting where a 6-year-old shot his teacher. In Michigan, a couple received 10 years in prison for not stopping their 15-year-old son from shooting four classmates.

Additionally, a father in Illinois admitted guilt for reckless misconduct after his son killed seven individuals during a Fourth of July parade.

Claims of Parental Negligence in the Lawsuit

The 2018 lawsuit was filed by families of the victims from the Santa Fe High School shooting, seeking over $1 million in damages. The families argued that the shooter’s parents were aware of their son’s potential for violence but failed to safely store their firearms, allowing him access to them, per court documents referenced by YSL News.

The lawsuit alleged that prior to the event, the shooter displayed warning signs and had violent fantasies. He was reportedly fixated on the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, dressed similarly to the shooters, and shared photos of weapons on social media.

The parents were claimed to have been aware of their son’s troubling behavior yet stored their weapons irresponsibly. According to Clint McGuire, the attorney for the victims’ families, the teen displayed signs of depression and withdrew socially.

“If they truly did not recognize his depression, it confirms their failure in parenting,” McGuire remarked, referencing how Kosmetatos wept at the defense table while he spoke to the jury, as reported by AP.

The defense attorneys for Pagourtzis and Kosmetatos contended that their son was secretive, taking the family’s guns without them being aware of it, and asserted that there were no clear warning signs of his intentions. They also placed some blame on Lucky Gunner.

“Dimitrios was deeply troubled. He kept to himself and did not exhibit overt aggressive behavior,” said defense attorney Lori Laird to the jurors, according to Houston Public Media.

Kosmetatos, the mother, expressed her anguish, stating that she would have preferred to take her son’s place rather than have him harm his peers, as reported by ABC 13 News.

“He wasn’t raised to act in such a way,” Kosmetatos continued. “If I had been aware of any inclination towards violence, I would have intervened myself.”

Initially, the lawsuit included Lucky Gunner as a defendant, asserting that age verification wasn’t needed for purchasing ammunition. However, the Texas Supreme Court denied an appeal from Lucky Gunner regarding immunity under federal law, and the matter was settled privately last year.

Victims’ Families and Survivors Testify

Throughout the trial, testimonies from families of the deceased highlighted their belief that the shooter was accountable, along with his parents for neglecting to monitor him. Several survivors also provided testimonies.

“If my parents had seen me struggling, they would have checked in on me, asking questions and wanting to talk,” shared Trenton Beazley, who survived the shooting at 15 years old, as reported by KHOU.

Farah Naz, mother of 17-year-old Sabika Aziz Sheikh, an exchange student from Pakistan killed in the shooting, recounted in court how her family learned of the shooting on the news and frantically tried to reach their daughter, only to later discover she had been tragically killed.

“She was my friend, filled with many aspirations. Not a single day goes by that I don’t think of her. Whenever I reflect on my other children’s aspirations, her memory comes to mind,” Naz expressed, as reported by KPRC-TV.

Flo Rice, a substitute teacher present on the day of the shooting, endured six gunshot wounds and managed to survive. She shared that she had to relearn how to walk after the incident, according to KTRK.

“It felt like someone was tracking me down, similar to how one would hunt an animal,” Rice recounted her harrowing experience during the shooting, as per KPRC-TV. “I am not who I used to be. I struggle with loud sounds, crowded places, and I’m constantly seeking exits. I can’t sit with my back to the door and I have issues with my memory.”

Trial follows sentencing of Michigan parents for son’s shooting

Even though the parents from Texas were not charged with any crimes, their trial echoes a different case in which two parents from Michigan received prison sentences of over ten years each for a mass shooting carried out by their son.

This year, Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors indicated that they failed to address concerning signs about their 15-year-old son’s mental health and provided him with the firearm he used to fatally shoot four classmates in 2021.

Legal analysts informed YSL News that the high-profile Crumbley case could shape public perceptions regarding parental responsibility when their children gain access to firearms and utilize them harmfully.