Timothy Simpkins: Timberview High School shooting suspect was robbed twice at school
ARINGTON, TEXAS: A fight in the classroom of Timberview High School led to gunfire injuries to four people including one teacher. Arlington PD launched a manhunt for the suspect, Timothy Simpkins, 18, and arrested him shortly after the incident. The shooting incident occurred at around 9:30 am Wednesday, October 6. Now, the family of the suspect, Timothy Simpkins has alleged that 'he brought a handgun for protection after being targeted by bullies for wearing nice clothes and driving a nice car'.
Timothy Simpkins, a student at Timberview was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was accused of firing a .45-caliber handgun during a fight with another student. Timothy's mother alleged that he was bullied at school but declined to comment further. Another woman, who said she is a relative speaking for the Simpkins family, alleged that Timothy had been robbed twice at the school.
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"He was robbed. It was recorded. It happened not just once, it happened twice. He was scared, he was afraid. There is no justification of anybody … being hurt," Carol Harrison-Lafayette told the Dallas Morning news.
"We have to take a look at the fact that bullying is real. And it takes us all. And I do apologize. We ask as a family for forgiveness of any type of hurt," she added. Describing Simpkins as an "outgoing, loving person" Carol noted that he wasbullied for wearing nice clothes and driving a nice car. "I’m not trying to justify the gun that was brought, but when you’re being bullied, when there’s bullies, throughout this nation you hear of young people … committing suicide, " she said, adding, "But he was trying to protect himself. And so we hope that the police department does the investigation properly. There are going to be independent investigations that are going to be done as well so we can get to the bottom of really what happened."
Speaking at a news conference about bullying concerns some parents have voiced, schools spokesman Donald Williams noted that Mansfield district is conducting a full investigation of the shooting and its cause. "What I will say to that is we take the safety and security of our students in our faculty and staff seriously, " he said. Four people were injured during the incident including a 15-year-old boy who was critically wounded, a 25-year-old English teacher who was also shot, a teenage girl, who was not shot and suffered a minor abrasion along with another pregnant teacher who was injured after she fell during the incident. Simpkins is being held on a $75,000 bond.