The Latest: Mourners told student brave 'beyond his years'

The Latest: Mourners told student brave 'beyond his years'


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HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the shooting last week at a Texas high school (all times local):

2:45 p.m.

Family and friends say Christian Riley Garcia, one of the students slain by a gunman last week at his Texas high school, displayed bravery "far beyond his years" and often put the needs of others before himself.

Mourners gathered Friday in the Houston suburb of Crosby for the funeral of the 15-year-old Garcia, a history junky who was eager to embark on a military career.

Friends say Garcia last week used his body as a barricade against a closet door in a classroom at Santa Fe High School to keep the shooter from entering.

Garcia was among eight students and two teachers who died in the shooting.

A service was held earlier Friday for one of those teachers, Cynthia Tisdale, who was married to her husband for nearly 40 years and had three children and eight grandchildren.

Her service was held in League City, not far from Santa Fe southeast of Houston.

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2:20 p.m.

The family of one of the students killed during a Texas high school shooting is suing the alleged gunman's parents.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student at Santa Fe High School, has been charged with capital murder for the May 18 attack. Investigators say Pagourtzis used a shotgun and pistol belonging to his father.

Christopher Stone and Rosie Yanas, whose son Chris Stone was killed, sued in Galveston County on Thursday.

They charge Pagourtzis' parents with not properly secure their weapons and allowing their son access to ammunition, as well as being negligent by entrusting him with weapons.

They also argue Pagourtzis' parents didn't obtain mental health counseling for their son and didn't warn the public about his "dangerous propensities."

Texas law says guns can't be made accessible to children under 17, though it provides exceptions.

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12:30 p.m.

Some students at the Texas high school where a gunman killed 10 people want laws requiring firearms to be locked away at home and accessible to only the owner.

The group of Santa Fe High School students spoke Friday at an event organized by March For Our Lives, formed following the deadly February shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

The students also called for enhanced security at schools and mental health background checks for anyone trying to buy a firearm.

They say their intention is not to take firearms from responsible owners.

The father of a 17-year-old boy accused in the May 18 Santa Fe shooting has said the teen took his father's guns from a closet.

Texas already bans making firearms accessible to children under 17.

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11:30 p.m.

Survivors of last week's school shooting at a high school near Houston told gripping stories of dodging bullets, hiding from the attacker and seeing classmates get shot as they pleaded with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

They said they want more armed security to keep campuses safe. The emotional three-hour discussion Thursday marked the end of three days of meetings Abbott held on school safety and mass shootings.

While the governor has appeared to embrace ideas of boosting security and tracking student mental health, there is little expectation the staunch gun-rights supporter will push for major changes to restrict owning firearms or buying them.

The Republican organized the mostly closed-door meetings shortly after eight students and two substitute teachers were fatally shot inside Santa Fe High School.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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