{"id":2580,"date":"2018-11-28T22:04:55","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T22:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/?p=2580"},"modified":"2018-11-28T22:04:55","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T22:04:55","slug":"we-trusted-this-country-family-of-pakistani-teen-killed-in-texas-shooting-join-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2018\/11\/28\/we-trusted-this-country-family-of-pakistani-teen-killed-in-texas-shooting-join-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We trusted this country&#8217;: family of Pakistani teen killed in Texas shooting join lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sabika Sheikh, 17, died in May attack \u2013 and family hope to make gun owners and those who ignore warning signs accountable<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"drop-cap\"><span class=\"drop-cap__inner\">S<\/span><\/span>abika Sheikh\u2019s excitement is palpable in the two-minute\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/samaatvnews\/videos\/2064874333771435\/?hc_ref=ARQ5bUPZgUGSLMbQ7EKxme9xx730_uL_lujBbMApmJ9FS0ZAC-sTjWXgK4SNhMnmIUk\">video<\/a>, her brown eyes wide and her hands fluttering as she speaks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi guys, I\u2019m Sabika,\u201d she says. Cheery and energetic, the young girl had made the video to describe the moment her parents told her she was a finalist to be a youth ambassador in a US state department-sponsored study exchange that would take her thousands of miles away from her home in Karachi, Pakistan\u2019s largest city, for a year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Sabika said. \u201cThey came into my room, and I was squealing, jumping like a madman. I prayed to God and thanked him a lot. Seeing those proud smiles on my parents\u2019 faces, that was the best moment of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the video, Sabika speaks in the chattering cadence of a teenage girl. Just a little more than a year after she posted that video on YouTube, Sabika, 17, was one of 10 killed in\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2018\/may\/19\/santa-fe-school-shooting-survivors-suspect-dimitrious-pagourtzis\">a mass shooting at a Texas high school<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/8e8eb083397145b98bb2fbca87f4910bbe1505ef\/0_153_4599_2759\/master\/4599.jpg?width=460&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=902b92050ffe03e4018da3135ba18277\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>On Wednesday, her parents joined the family members of some of the other victims in filing a lawsuit against the 17-year-old suspect\u2019s parents, Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos. The suit alleges the parents were not only negligent in allowing their son to gain access to a shotgun and a revolver legally owned by the father, but in failing to respond to warning signs that their son posed a risk to others.<\/p>\n<p>An attorney for the suspect\u2019s parents had previously denied all allegations in an earlier\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/publicaccess.co.galveston.tx.us\/ViewDocumentFragment.aspx?DocumentFragmentID=9679207&amp;CheckDocumentGroups=0\">court filing<\/a>, before Sabika\u2019s parents joined the lawsuit, arguing that the \u201cmere fact of paternity or maternity does not make a parent liable to third parties for the torts of his or her minor child\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>But in adding their voices to the fight, Sabika\u2019s family is ensuring that the gun violence and mass shootings that have become a tragically American phenomenon stay firmly in the international eye.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe trusted this country more than I think we should have,\u201d said Shaheera Jalil Albasit, Sabika\u2019s cousin. \u201cWe sent Sabika here as a guest. She was here on a cultural exchange, and she experienced the worst of the culture: the culture of gun violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sabika arrived in the United States in August 2017 as a youth ambassador for the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program. It was her first solo trip, and it was to be the longest amount of time she was to be away from her family, her cousin said.<\/p>\n<p>She was placed with a host family in Santa Fe,\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/texas\">Texas<\/a>, 30 miles from central Houston. She enrolled in Santa Fe high school, and experienced typical American teenage life, dressing up for Halloween, going to prom with friends, volunteering at the library, and keeping score at high school baseball games.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cShe was really thinking of this opportunity as the step a woman would take to show people that girls can travel alone, make friends across religions, across cultures, and do great things,\u201d Albasit said. \u201cI think that was her aspiration, coming back and sharing stories about what she did here. She was also excited about sharing the positives about\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/pakistan\">Pakistan<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though Sabika loved her time in Texas and grew close with her host family, she was, in the last few weeks, \u201creally missing home\u201d, Albasit said. \u201cShe kept talking about going home to her mother, and going home. She started a countdown. Every day, she\u2019d send a message home to Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On 18 May, Sabika posted one last Snapchat story: just 19 more days.<\/p>\n<p>At 7.30am, the shooter, a fellow student, walked into the four-room arts complex and opened fire, killing eight teenagers and two teachers. Thirteen others were injured, some seriously.<\/p>\n<p>According to court documents, Sabika and her classmates ran into a supply closet, where she hid behind a dresser. \u201cThe shooter \u2026 began shooting into the closets,\u201d the filing reads. \u201cHe taunted the students who were hiding while he shot at them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sabika sustained nine gunshot wounds. The suspect, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, was arrested and charged with capital murder but cannot face the death penalty because of his age.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"img-3\" class=\"element element-image img--portrait element--thumbnail  fig--narrow-caption fig--has-shares \"><\/figure>\n<p>Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos \u201cknew that something was gravely wrong with their son\u201d, but took no steps to get him help or prevent him from accessing firearms, the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n<p>The shooter had a fascination with the Columbine shooting, and went out of his way to dress like the shooters: wearing a full-length black trench coat and combat boots to school \u2013 even in the Texas heat.<\/p>\n<div id=\"dfp-ad--inline3\" class=\"js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--offset-right ad-slot--inline3 ad-slot--rendered\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/us-news\/article\/ng_8__container__\" class=\"ad-slot__content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He was also fascinated by guns, in particular guns used by the Nazis in the second world war. On Facebook, he posted an image of a jacket with Nazi and fascist insignia, as well as artwork inspired by an electronic musician with a following among neo-Nazi groups.<\/p>\n<p>The day after the shooting, the family said in a\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/abc13.com\/family-of-alleged-santa-fe-high-school-shooter-issues-statement\/3496376\/\">statement<\/a>\u00a0they were \u201cas shocked and confused as anyone else\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile we remain mostly in the dark about the specifics of yesterday\u2019s tragedy, what we have learned from media reports seems incompatible with the boy we love,\u201d the statement read. \u201cWe share the public\u2019s hunger for answers as to why this happened, and will await the outcome of the investigation before speaking about these events.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0c072f284024eb46064bd9e49f3bf07a44f1795c\/567_0_3516_2111\/master\/3516.jpg?width=460&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=d8f1fa594f89ace8b33742381c277bda\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Sabika\u2019s family, who are represented by the gun policy reform group Everytown for Gun Safety, hopes the suit will force accountability on not just gun owners, but on people who ignore warning signs in their loved ones, even though they know of the risk they might pose to others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe that the shooter\u2019s parents had multiple opportunities to stop what had happened, and they did not engage in anything,\u201d Albasit said. \u201cThe motivation behind this lawsuit is that any gun owner in the US must feel an obligation when it comes to their weapons, not just in storing them safely, but in speaking up when they believe that someone around them is at risk of harming themselves or people around them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sabika\u2019s parents never imagined that anything like this could happen, her father, Abdul Aziz, said in a phone interview from Pakistan. \u201cHow can a parent even think about their child being injured or hurt or taken away forever?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a very specifically American problem, this gun violence. But any manifestation of violence, especially targeted at children, should not be a reality. Children should not be stopped from pursuing education, no matter the reality. The reality must be corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Farah Naz, Sabika\u2019s mother, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a very dark place to be for the family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sole light in that darkness, she said, is the duty they feel to deliver justice for their daughter. \u201cWe feel that we are accountable to Sabika every single day. We see her face in front of our eyes every day. Her voice, her sound, her laughter echo in our ears every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sabika wanted to be an entrepreneur and a diplomat. One of the last things she wrote to her mother was that she had \u201camazing daughters who will make you proud\u201d. Sabika\u2019s mother now mourns for the future that one amazing daughter will never have.<\/p>\n<p>Sabika\u2019s parents speak Urdu, and the phone interview was conducted through a translator. But when asked what it was about his daughter that he missed the most, Abdul Aziz answered immediately in English.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything. Everything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sabika Sheikh, 17, died in May attack \u2013 and family hope to make gun owners and those who ignore warning signs accountable Sabika Sheikh\u2019s excitement is palpable in the two-minute\u00a0video, her brown eyes wide and her hands fluttering as she speaks. \u201cHi guys, I\u2019m Sabika,\u201d she says. Cheery and energetic, the young girl had made the video to describe the&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2018\/11\/28\/we-trusted-this-country-family-of-pakistani-teen-killed-in-texas-shooting-join-lawsuit\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[35],"class_list":["post-2580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article-post","tag-the-guardian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2580"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2581,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580\/revisions\/2581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}