Family of teenager suspected of Texas high school shooting said he was bullied and robbed

The family of an Arlington, Texas teenager suspected of injuring four people in a school shooting said he was bullied and recently robbed.

The suspect, Timothy George Simpkins, 18, was arrested Wednesday on three counts of aggravated assault with a fatal weapon after allegedly opening fire at Timberview High School. He surrendered to the police after a manhunt lasting several hours after fleeing the school.

A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured in the shooting and taken to hospital where he underwent surgery, and a 25-year-old man was hospitalized in good condition. It is not known what their conditions were on Thursday afternoon.

A teenage girl also suffered minor injuries and was treated and released. A pregnant woman was treated at school and was not taken to hospital.

Arlington Police said the shooting may have started with a classroom brawl, but disclosed no motive.

A witness told investigators Simpkins had a physical altercation with another boy, according to an arrest affidavit. The witness broke off the fight and the second boy “finally gave up and ceased to be combative,” he said.

“When the witness turned to check on Simpkins’ condition, Simpkins had pulled out a gun,” the affidavit said. “Seeing the gun, this witness turned to run out of the classroom. The witness then heard three or four shots.”

A second witness said several teachers and coaches intervened in the brawl and after his breakup, Simpkins entered an orange backpack and pulled out a gun. The witness told authorities that she saw Simpkins point the gun at the person he was fighting and fire several shots.

Another witness said he also saw the fight and was hit by a bullet, suffering from a scrape.

Simpkins’ cousin Cinthy Wheat said he was bullied and robbed about a week ago by a group of children. She said the theft did not take place on school property, but said Timberview was aware of the bullying.

“He’s not a bad boy, he’s never had any trouble,” she said in a phone call Thursday. “He was bullied and robbed.”

According to Wheat, this was Simpkins’ first year at Timberview. She said he always attended private school and transferred to public high school because he wanted to try something different. Discussing the shooting, she said she thought Simpkins was “scared”.

“He had no other options, in his mind.… It’s a sad situation,” she said. “The harassment must stop. You can’t keep sweeping it under the rug.

Timberview is part of the Mansfield Independent School District. A district spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on the bullying allegations.

Calls to police about the shooting arrived at around 9:15 a.m. and resulted in the school being locked down. Many law enforcement agencies responded, including the Arlington Police Department and the Dallas Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

A parent said his son was hiding under his desk in a classroom when gunshots rang out. Teacher Dale Topham said he was across the hall and described how the students immediately turned off the lights and took comfort in taking cover.

“The students handled it pretty well on their own,” he said. “They hid. They huddled together.”

The high school, located about 27 miles southwest of downtown Dallas, does not have metal detectors. A district spokesperson told a news conference Wednesday afternoon that law enforcement officers were on every campus and the Timberview officer responded “fairly quickly” to the shooting.