Houston police chief says he's 'hit rock bottom' after Santa Fe school shooting

HOUSTON — Houston police Chief Art Acevedo is calling for gun reform, after 10 people were shot and killed and 10 more hurt in a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas.

>>Read: Santa Fe High School shooting: 10 dead, 10 injured, suspect arraigned on capital murder charges

The gunman was identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student at the school.

Pagourtzis was arraigned on capital murder and aggravated assault charges Friday.

In the post on his Facebook page, Acevedo said that he has hit “rock bottom” after this deadly shooting.

“Today I spent the day dealing with another mass shooting of children and a responding police officer who is clinging to life. I'm not ashamed to admit I've shed tears of sadness, pain and anger,” Acevedo posted. “I know some have strong feelings about gun rights but I want you to know I’ve hit rock bottom and I am not interested in your views as it pertains to this issue.”

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School resource officer John Barnes was injured in Friday’s shooting. He remains in critical condition, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) tweeted Saturday.

According to CNN, Barnes is a former officer with the Houston Police Department.

Acevedo also called “shame” to those in power who are not speaking out against gun violence, in a post on Twitter.

Acevedo has been vocal about gun control in the past. According to CNN, Acevedo urged others to join him to change legislation after the deadly massacre in Las Vegas last year were 58 people were killed.

Acevedo is the first Hispanic to lead the department. Before that, he was chief of the Austin Police Department, according to the Houston police department website.

He was sworn in as Houston police chief in 2016.

Cox Media Group