HOUSTON, Texas – Following the verdict in the Santa Fe mass shooting civil trial, parents of the students killed in 2018 are undeterred in their fight to change gun storage laws.
A central argument in the families’ lawsuit against the charged gunman’s parents was they didn’t do enough to keep their mentally ill son from getting his hands on the guns in their home and then using the weapons in the mass shooting.
However, a jury found Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Maria Kosmetatos had zero responsibility for what happened at Santa Fe high school. Rosie Yanas, mother of Chris Stone, and Gail McLeod, mother of Kyle McLeod, said the jury’s verdict is prompting them to redouble their efforts in seeking a change in gun storage laws.
“It was hard to accept at first, it was not at all what I was expecting,” Yanas said, in regard to the jury’s verdict.
McLeod said she was equally disappointed in the jury’s verdict.
“Astonishment, [I] just cannot believe that they didn’t even hold them 1% accountable,” said McLeod.
Evidence showed the charged gunman used his father’s 12-gauge shotgun and mother’s .38-caliber handgun in the mass shooting. Their defense attorney, Lori Laird, argued his parents did keep their guns locked in a display cabinet and gun safe, but their son found and stole the key.
“The laws need to be changed, they’re too broad,” said McLeod. “They just say, ‘Oh, keep them safe, keep them locked up, keep them, you know, stored,’ there’s no specifics.”
The defense also pointed out the charged gunman was 17 at the time of the mass shooting, and Texas law regarding keeping guns out of the hands of minors ends at 16.
“We need more accountability, stronger accountability, and I think that we are the people to start that conversation that people don’t want to talk about,” said Yanas.
With the civil trial over, Yanas and McLeod said they, and other parents, will be focusing on seeking a change in gun storage laws to be more specific in how gun owners need to store their weapons with a child in the house.
“The fight for accountability does not end here,” said Yanas.
Still, the disappointment of the jury’s verdict stings; many families felt this was their best chance at accountability since the charged gunman remains hospitalized and incompetent to stand trial.
“That’s something that my heart has finally come to terms with, that I have to accept the fact that the person that pulled the trigger is never going to come to justice,” said Yanas.
McLeod shares the same concern for whether the criminal case will move forward.
“It just feels like that there is not going to be an end until, he’s either declared competent, which we most of the time don’t think will happen, or he’s committed,” said McLeod.
The jury in the civil trial found the charged gunman is 80-percent responsible for what happened and the online ammunition seller who sold him the bullets, Luckygunner, is 20-percent responsible. The jury also awarded $330-million damages. However, the families settled their lawsuit with Luckygunner last year, which means the retailer can’t be hit with new damages.
This leaves the bulk of the jury’s award on the back of the charged gunman, whose attorney said is indigent.
The charged gunman’s competency will again be reviewed in 2025.