Dimitrios Pagourtzis, Texas Shooting Suspect, Posted Neo-Nazi Imagery Online

[brooklynite]

Source: Daily Beast

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the suspected gunman who opened fire at a Texas high school on Friday morning, apparently posted photos of neo-Nazi iconography online, according to social media accounts flagged by classmates and reviewed by The Daily Beast.

Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said the suspect was a 17-year-old male student at Santa Fe High School where 10 people were killed. The suspect was taken into custody, Trochesset told reporters. Explosive devices were left inside the school near Houston, authorities said. The suspect reportedly had an assault-style rifle, shotgun, and pistol.

Pagourtzis was identified by law-enforcement officials as the suspect to CBS News and the Associated Press. Two Santa Fe students also told The Daily Beast that Pagourtzis was the gunman and they confirmed a Facebook account with Pagourtzis’ name belonged to him. Attempts by The Daily Beast to reach Pagourtzis’ family were unsuccessful.

On April 30, Pagourtzis apparently posted a t-shirt with “born to kill” printed on the front, boasting that it was custom-made.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/dimitrios-pagourtzis-reportedly-idd-as-santa-fe-texas-shooting-suspect

[muntrv]

1. Or as Twitler would call him: "A very fine person."

[Iliyah]

2. Did they buy him a hamburger?

[Aristus]

4. I'm guessing very few of his victims were black. So probably not.

I always imagined the Georgia cops arresting Dylan Whats-his-name in the wake of the shooting at the African Methodist-Episcopal Church, and offering him a cheery "Nice shootin' there, son."

[Glorfindel]

7. It was Dylan Roof, and it was in South Carolina, not Georgia

n/t

[Aristus]

8. Thank you for the correction.

Not that I'd imagine there's much difference in these circumstances.

[Dopers_Greed]

3. Well well well...

Big surprise.

Maybe he'll get a pardon from Herr Dumpf.

[IronLionZion]

5. Why is this asshole still alive?

Police didn't fear for their lives?

[marble falls]

16. He's white.

[WestIndianArchie]

23. Still Alive.

Simple, He is still alive because he is white.

[still_one]

6. Reports say the weapons he used were from his father.

Last edited Fri May 18, 2018, 08:26 PM - Edit history (1)

[csziggy]

10. Reports say it was a shotgun (sawed off?) and a hand gun

I think I heard the handgun was a .38 caliber.

[still_one]

11. The report I heard was an AR 15, that was supposedly from a sherif on the scene, so that report was

Obviously wrong that I heard

Thanks for the correction

[csziggy]

12. I've been out & around so could have missed the report you heard

It's still early - facts are still not solidly verified.

You could be correct, I could be wrong.

[still_one]

13. Mine was pretty early so I suspect what you heard is more accurate

[csziggy]

15. MSNBC just confirmed - shotgun & .38 caliber revolver

Most of the injuries were from the shotgun.

Pete Williams on MTP Daily. No link, too soon.

[still_one]

21. Thanks ziggy. I just edited my post accordingly

[vlyons]

9. Where were his parents?

Kids don't just wake up one morning and decide to love Nazis. Did he hear racist bigotry in his home - for years? I'm guessing super-dysfunctional family.

[jpak]

19. Sawing off shotguns

n/t

[Igel]

30. He also sported Soviet-style iconography.

Apparently he gave his interpretation for his hammer-and-sickle in the same way he have his interpretation for his swastika or whatever it was.

Of course, "neo-Nazi" would then have the same evidentiary base as "neo-Soviet," but nobody cares about "neo-Soviet."

[metalbot]

39. Are you kidding?

This is golden. Now we can blame Trump and Putin!

(Gallows humor and sarcasm tag in case anyone takes me seriously).

[Initech]

14. Another one of Trump's "very fine people".

[dembotoz]

17. Just had a t-shirt custom made. 20 bucks

I feel all dangerous now

[Codeine]

18. Jail his parents.

Fucking filth.

[scrinmaster]

20. The iron cross isn't a neo-Nazi symbol

He also has a hammer and sickle on his right lapel in that picture.

[Igel]

32. Can be.

That's the thing about symbols. It's what the symbol means to the symbol *user* that counts.

When I was a teenager I bought an iron cross. It was from a long-haired vendor on The Mall in DC catering to the Vietnam War protestors. The iron cross was apparently a hippy accoutrement. My parents were not pleased. I was so disconnected my only response, like my reason for getting it, was that it seemed appropriate to get a souvenir and it was blue. I liked blue.

[WestIndianArchie]

22. soft attacks

These scumbags represent a nationwide movement of a violent racist/white supremacist vanguard, the whole idea is to sow confusion and fear amongst the population. Schools are being attacked as a soft target. The fact, they are attacking whites is simply a sacrifice in a wider guerrilla war against the country. These people are animals and should be treated as such. If we want to solve this problem, we should be rounding up and imprisoning all racist/white supremacist militia groups.

[metalbot]

40. Huh?

It's absurd to think that school shootings are somehow being driven by "violent racist/white supremacists" who are using dead white kids as a sacrifice. A sacrifice to what end? To finally get gun control in the US by having enough shootings that middle class white parents will start to care?

And while I'm all in favor of rounding up and imprisoning people who commit crimes, I'm much less in favor of rounding up and imprisoning people for simply being vile assholes. I would like to understand which school shootings you feel would have been prevented had we "rounded up and imprisoned all racist/white supremacist militia groups".

[KY_EnviroGuy]

24. Interviews said this kid had been bullied quite a lot.

Apparently, he was shy and small in stature. Witness the trench coat, badges and gun mania - this kid was hungry for power.

Mix that with on-line radicalization, a love of guns and a daily dose of tRump and other Repug politicians spreading god, guns and racism, we have a very dangerous combination.

But most people interviewed said he seemed normal, although shy. We simply do not pay any attention to the mental health of our citizens in the preventative sense, and especially for our youth.

.......... .......

[LisaL]

25. What are you talking about?

Small in stature? He played football, for crying out loud.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

29. Relaying what some classmates said in interviews on TV.

Playing football does not necessarily mean large. Most of my HS football team were small in stature but tough and fast as hell. Classmates said some of the much larger boys were quite demeaning toward him.

[LisaL]

31. Well, just look at his photo.

Looks like he gained a lot of weight recently. Do they mean he was smaller compared to other football players, perhaps?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

34. That's what was implied.

Texas grows some big 'uns, you know. The interviews I saw were with girl classmates at: https://www.khou.com/ during the live coverage yesterday.

I think a lot more will be revealed about this guy soon. Apparently, he was also a somewhat of a loner and big into video games.

More on him here: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/texas/article/Teen-laid-out-Texas-attack-plans-in-journals-12927430.php
(the Chronicle has suspended the paywall temporarily for this occasion)

[KY_EnviroGuy]

35. Much more definitive info here...

WaPo Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/alleged-school-killer-dimitrios-pagourtzis-was-nondescript-betraying-a-growing-darkness/2018/05/18/d69f5b88-5ade-11e8-8836-a4a123c359ab_story.html?utm_term=.2e870c263760

[LisaL]

36. From what was in NYT article, one of the victims was his ex-girlfriend.

If so, the motive could be revenge and not a thirst for power.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

37. Or, both. I will say that the loss of a girlfriend...

could have been a factor that added to any depression he may have had. If he wanted revenge over losing a girlfriend, one wouldn't think he would have went on such a rampage. Usually, in those cases, they corner the victim somewhere and shoot them and maybe a bystander or two.

The WaPo article said his friends related that he had been acting very down lately. In this case and many others, it's obvious we're not talking to our kids as we should. They should not have to bottle serious things that are hurting them, and if the kid has a mental illness, those issues just add fuel to the fire.

He also shows signs of being an introvert, and introverts are typically highly sensitive individuals - that is, more vulnerable to put-downs, rejections and criticism (I know, because I am one).

And, as in most of these cases, we'll probably never know because no one can really get inside their heads, and specially after a horrific crime.

[LisaL]

38. Apparently the girl wasn't his actual girlfriend, she kept turning him down.

"Rodriguez says: "He kept making advances on her and she repeatedly told him no," but the advances got more aggressive."

https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/The-Latest-Hospital-says-2-school-attack-victims-12927719.php?ipid=happening

[WestIndianArchie]

26. Im shocked

I'm shocked I tell you. A violent racist/white supremacist murdering and sowing chaos!!!!

[magicarpet]

27. Parents and family are the front line observers - they must do their job.

To help recognize and squelch the white supremacists and the threat they impose on the general population and society.

[NutmegYankee]

28. I don't see the neo-nazi iconography.

There is an Iron Cross, but that predates the nazi era and is still used as the official insignia of the German Armed Forces.

[Mc Mike]

33. Upside down pentagrams too.

Trenchcoat fan, prepared bombs.

Just like Columbine shooters.