By: Kyle James | 05-19-2018 | News
Photo credit: KHOU11

Heroic Santa Fe Officer Who Stopped Shooter May Die

While FBI agents comb for forensic evidence in the aftermath of the Santa Fe High School shooting, the Santa Fe police officer who ran into the school and confronted the shooter is fighting for his life. Santa Fe ISD Police Chief Walter Braun did not answer questions about the shooting but did say that his department's quick response likely saved lives. "Our officers have been very, very resilient," Braun said.

Related coverage: <a href="http://thegoldwater.com/news/26532-Santa-Fe-High-School-Shooting-Suspect-Identified-as-Dimitrios-Pagourtzis-2A-Under-Attack">Santa Fe High School Shooting: Suspect Identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis - 2A Under Attack</a>

Santa Fe police officer John Barnes was one of the first to arrive at the high school and confronted the 17-year-old shooter. Barnes was hit by a shotgun blast in the arm at close range. He has been in and out of surgery to stem the severe bleeding that caused his heart to stop twice and nearly killed him. According to family friends, the officer may lose his arm and is currently sedated, clinging to life.

Barnes spent more than 20 years with Houston police department before retiring. After he retired, Barnes joined the 15-person Santa Fe ISD police department. Houston Police Capt. Jim Dale who is a close friend of Barnes said, "There's so much damage from the gun wounds." Galveston County Judge Mark Henry brought attention to Barnes' heroic actions saying, "He ran toward danger, knowing it could be a problem, and it was."

The shooting took place in Santa Fe, Texas around 8 a.m. Friday morning and took the lives of ten people including nine students and one teacher. The 17-year-old shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis also wounded another 10 people during the deadly attack. Pagourtzis carried out the attack with his father's shotgun and .38 revolver. Tori White, a 17-year-old junior said, "It’s going to be hard going back to school. Not seeing those people in the hallways is going to be very tough." White added, "He just looked like another person in the hallways."

Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/26461-Santa-Fe-Shooting-Suspect-Posted-Facebook-Photo-Wearing-Born-to-Kill-Shirt">Santa Fe Shooting Suspect Posted Facebook Photo Wearing “Born to Kill” Shirt</a>

The shooter's family hired two attorneys to represent their son who they say is cooperating with authorities. In an interview with investigators, Pagourtzis said he avoided shooting people he liked "so he could have his story told." One of the families attorneys is Nicholas Poehl who said in an interview Saturday, "Obviously this is a tough situation. He’s in difficult circumstances. He’s behaving consistently with that."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Retired HPD SPO John Barnes, 49, was sworn in in May 1995 &amp; retired Jan 2018. He began his career at SW Patrol and began working in investigations in 2005. John is known for his tireless work in Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. <a href="https://t.co/OBDOJ0SLkM">https://t.co/OBDOJ0SLkM</a></p>&mdash; Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtAcevedo/status/997562028746330119?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The men and women of <a href="https://twitter.com/houstonpolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@houstonpolice</a> stand with <a href="https://twitter.com/SantaFeISD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SantaFeISD</a> &amp; the entire community of Santa Fe. Our thoughts &amp; prayers are with all involved and we feel privileged to have assisted in a small way. Please Continue to pray for all of the victims, their families and friends. <a href="https://t.co/6OHKEblUt1">https://t.co/6OHKEblUt1</a></p>&mdash; Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtAcevedo/status/997562991829757954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Source: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Accused-Santa-Fe-High-shooter-cooperating-with-12927991.php

Twitter: #SantaFe #SantaFeHighSchool #Shooting #Heroic #PoliceOfficer #JohnBarnes

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4 Comment/s
Anonymous No. 26550 2018-05-19 : 21:12

When a man (or woman) signs up to become a law enforcement officer, they know the risks the possibly face, so if you're trying to elicit sympathy, you're not doing a very good job.

Anonymous No. 26551 2018-05-19 : 21:31

Anonymous no 26550

And we all know what happens with communist indoctrination. This kinda crap happens. When we have a education system. Preaching to all of children America is bad and all who stand for her are bad. And wrong is right and right is wrong.

Matthew No. 26615 2018-05-20 : 11:49

The reason we have shootings like this is because they are so easy, grant the shooter a ton of public publicity, and offer an outlet for the repression that is destroying our children in this nation. So when the bully starts doing his thing, and the one bullied is punished for fighting back, told he shall not defend himself, told he needs to trust others to do the job HE should do, and then they don't DO that job and leave him an outcast, and he explodes and kills people - who is more to blame? The anti-gun psychopaths who made the shooting the easiest thing in the world, or the liberals who took a kid that had great potential, and twisted him into a sociopathic killer?

Anonymous No. 26616 2018-05-20 : 12:10

Matthew, are you defending a killer?

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