Santa Fe Shooting Survivor Wasn't On Campus: Reports

SANTA FE, TX -A Florida man who claimed he was a substitute teacher at Santa Fe High School during the May 2018 campus shooting was never really there, according to school district officials. The man who identified himself to national media outlets as David Briscoe, told a horrific story describing the fear of the students and teachers as gunshots echoed through the hallways as well as his own efforts to protect his frightened students.

Briscoe shared his so-called first-hand story with national media outlets such as Time, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal. He was seemingly at the wrong place at the wrong time.

But none of it was true.

Lindsey Campbell, a spokesperson for the Santa Fe school district, said there was no one named David Briscoe employed in Santa Fe ISD, or working at Santa Fe High School in any capacity, according to the Texas Tribune, which ultimately uncovered the hoax.

"We are extremely disappointed that an individual that has never been a part of our school community would represent themselves as a survivor of the mass violence tragedy that our community endured," said Santa Fe ISD Superintendent Leigh Wall told the Tribune. "This situation illustrates how easily misinformation can be created and circulated, especially when the amount of detailed information available is limited due to the still ongoing investigation."

The Texas Tribune detailed its encounter with Briscoe in a story you can read here.

Eight students and two substitute teachers were killed in the massacre, and 13 others were injured, when Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student, allegedly began shooting into classrooms.

Pagourtzis was arrested and taken to the Galveston County Jail, and was later charged with 10 counts of capital murder. In April, federal authorities took Pagourtzis into custody. He is expected to stand trial in nearby Fort Bend County in January 2020, officials said.

Send your news tips and story ideas to bryan.kirk@patch.com