SANTE FE, Texas – The mayor of Santa Fe is joining Texas Congressman Mike Matranga in demanding an apology for a response the US Department of Justice sent after Matranga requested an independent investigation of the police response to the 2018 mass shooting at Santa Fe High School.
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KPRC 2 Investigates reported the DOJ responded to a request sent by Mike Matranga, who is a retired Secret Service agent, former head of safety for Texas City ISD and now runs M6 Global Defense, which specializes in school security and safety. Matranga said he sent the request on behalf of the families.
The DOJ’s response was an answer to a request for an independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the mass shooting. Families of those killed and survivors have long asked for an independent investigation of what led up to the shooting and an analysis of the police response.
“Not [an investigation] into the criminal actions of the individual, but into the actions of those responsible for keeping the staff and the children safe,” said Matranga. “Quite frankly, six years is long enough for these people to be suffering without any answers.”
Matranga shared with KPRC 2 the response letter he received from DOJ. The DOJ’s letter never mentions Santa Fe but reads, “you request an investigation into the Columbine shooting.”
The DOJ’s letter further instructs Matranga that if he feels a federal crime has been committed to call the FBI. There is no signature on the DOJ’s letter just “Sincerely, Correspondence Management Staff, Office of Administration.”
On Tuesday U.S. Rep. Randy Weber/(R) Tx.-Dist 14 sent a follow-up letter directly to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, demanding someone be held accountable “for this flippant response to a very serious event that ended and destroyed the lives of many.” Weber further writes the DOJ’s response “is not only disappointing, but profoundly offensive to a community still recovering from the horror of that day.”
In his letter, Weber asks the DOJ to apologize to the community and issue a new response to Matranga’s request for an independent investigation by Sept. 1.
“There are lessons learned that can help the next school, the next first responders learn from this. I believe there should be a DOJ investigation for every mass school shooting because our children deserve this,” said Flo Rice, who was critically wounded during the Santa Fe mass shooting.
In a separate statement to KPRC 2, Weber said the following:
“The Justice Department’s feeble response was a shameful disservice not only to Southeast Texas but to our entire nation. I am demanding a thorough and appropriate reply to our request, and I’m making sure the top brass at Justice know what bureaucrats are saying to our people on critical matters.”
Rice said she found the DOJ’s letter “disrespectful and demeaning.” Her husband, Scot, helped Matranga craft the letter.
“It’s like the shooting everybody’s forgotten, nobody cares, it’s never mentioned,” said Scot Rice. “They just want us to shut up and go away.”
Rosie Stone lost her son, Chris Stone, in the mass shooting. She said she had a moment of disbelief when Matranga shared the DOJ’s letter with her.
“When I read that, I was like, what?” said Stone. “Two things telling me about that [letter], either they truly did not read it at all, zero, or that’s just a generic letter to send it out and say, ‘Hey, we were doing something, just go about your day.’ What an embarrassment. Are they going to apologize to us?”
KPRC 2 reached out to the DOJ to ask who reviewed Matranga’s request, who made a decision on that request, who sent the response letter and whether the DOJ will reconsider its decision. We have not yet received a response.
“Give us a little bit more respect, that’s what I’m asking for. Our children deserve that and our teachers deserve that,” said Stone.
Flo and Scot Rice, Matranga and Stone said the DOJ’s letter will not deter them from seeking a third-party investigation.
“The Department of Justice is going to give us the respect that we deserve, or myself and some of these victims’ families will be walking into [U.S. Attorney General] Merrick Garland’s office ourselves, and we will wait there until we get answers,” said Matrang.
The criminal case against the charged gunman remains at a standstill because Dimitrios Pagourtzis remains incompetent to stand trial. Doctors at North Texas State Hospital in Vernon have been working to restore his competency since 2019.
Pagourtzis has been in the hospital for 1,695 days as of July 23. According to state data obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates, the average time it took doctors at North Texas to restore a defendant’s competency was 229 days in fiscal year 2022, 227 days in fiscal year 2023, and 126 days in fiscal year 2024.
A civil lawsuit filed against his parents by several family members is set for trial on July 29. The suit accuses the parents of not doing more to spot signs of mental illness in their son and for not preventing him from getting access to firearms in the home. Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos have denied any wrongdoing.