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At approximately 9:15 a.m. local time, the Arlington Police Department responded to reports of shots fired inside the high school.
Although it is not known what directly led to the shooting, police said there had been a confrontation beforehand.
“The incident took place in a classroom on the second floor of the school,” Arlington police said in a statement. “Investigators believe a physical fight broke out just before the shooting.”
The shooting was not a random act of violence and was carried out by a student who fought and drew a gun, Arlington Deputy Police Chief Kevin Kolbye said.
After the shooting, officers determined the suspect had left the school and “there was no longer an active threat inside the building,” police said.
What do we know about the victims?
The shooting left four injured. Of the four, two were shot and three were hospitalized.
The three hospitalized are expected to survive, Kolbye said.
A 25-year-old man was also shot and is in good condition, the statement said. A teenage girl who may have been grazed by a bullet was released Wednesday evening and is in good condition with a scrape, Arlington Police spokesperson Tim Ciesco said.
Officials said about 1,700 students were in school.
“After the school security sweeps were completed, all remaining students from Timberview High School were safely evacuated and transported by bus to an off-site reunification center where they were returned to their families,” Arlington police said.
What do we know about the suspect?
The suspect, Timothy George Simpkins, is in custody and will be charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police say.
Simpkins, 18, surrendered without incident on Wednesday afternoon, police said, and his bail was set at $ 75,000.
A gun was recovered from “the streets of Grand Prairie”, a town a few miles from the high school, Arlington police said.
Grand Prairie Police said the recovered weapon was a .45 caliber handgun. Police believe it was the weapon used in the school shooting, according to Grand Prairie Police Chief Daniel Scesney, but this has not been confirmed. He said the gun was handed over to the ATF for ballistic testing.
“The decision he made to take the gun, we don’t justify it. It wasn’t fair, but he was trying to protect himself,” family spokesman Carrol Harrison said.
CNN’s Raja Razek, Holly Yan, and Allison Flexner contributed to this report.
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