Family of Arlington school shooting suspect say he was robbed and bullied

The motives of the alleged assailant in Wednesday’s Arlington school shooting remain unknown, but he apparently acted after a fight, and family members say he was bullied.

Police arrested 18-year-old Timothy George Simpkins in a morning shootout at Timberview High School in the Mansfield Independent School District.

A woman who identified herself as Simpkins’ mother said he was bullied. But she declined to comment Wednesday afternoon outside Simpkins’ grandmother’s home in Arlington as law enforcement searched the residence.

Cint Wheat, her cousin, wrote in a Facebook post: “At the end of the day my little cousin was bullied. I don’t know what it is, he’s not a bad boy.

Later that evening, Carol Harrison Lafayette, who said she was a family member speaking on behalf of the family, told the home that Simpkins had been robbed before the attack.

“It was broken into,” she said. “It was recorded. It didn’t happen once, it happened twice. He was afraid, he was afraid.

“There is no justification for someone (…) being hurt,” she said, adding: “We have to look at the fact that bullying is real. And it takes all of us. And I apologize. As a family, we ask forgiveness for any kind of injury. “

Asked at a press conference about bullying concerns expressed by some parents, Donald Williams, associate superintendent of communications for Mansfield ISD, said the district was conducting a full investigation into the shooting and its cause.

“What I will say to this is that we take seriously the safety and security of our students in our faculty and staff,” he said.

Four people were injured, including a seriously injured 15-year-old boy, in the morning shooting. Simpkins was arrested hours later after surrendering with the help of a lawyer.

Here’s what we know about Simpkins and the filming so far:

• He’s an 18-year-old student from Timberview High School in Arlington.
• A fight allegedly broke out in a classroom on the second floor of the school, followed by a shootout. The suspect fled after the shooting.
• Police have started searching for the car Simpkins drives, a 2018 Silver Dodge Charger. The vehicle was found at an apartment complex in Grand Prairie.
• Simpkins surrendered to authorities at around 1:15 p.m. and, with a lawyer, spoke to detectives.

• Police said they would press charges against Simpkins on three counts of aggravated assault. He was held in Arlington Jail just before 2 p.m. and his bail was set at $ 75,000.
• A video posted on social media appears to show someone who looks like Simpkins in a brawl at school, but police said they couldn’t verify she was from school yet.
• Police do not know how the gunman introduced a gun into the school. Grand Prairie Police have recovered a .45 caliber handgun from England Parkway and federal authorities are investigating whether it was used in the shooting.
• At around 2:30 p.m., a SWAT team executed a search warrant at the home where he lives with his grandmother. The Edgefield neighborhood is a relatively new development with limestone and brick facades.
• Simpkins’ social media accounts appear to have been active on Wednesday morning, but the accounts are no longer available.

Lafayette said Simpkins was an outgoing, valued and loving person. “He couldn’t wait to graduate and do something with his life,” she said.

Researchers Erin Sood, Naomi Kaskela, and Ana Niño contributed to this story.

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