Timothy Simpkins recently went viral when a video was shared showing Timothy and another student fighting at Timberview High School. The school is in Arlington, but is a part of the Mansfield Independent School District.
The fight escalated into a school shooting. According to reports and the arrest affidavit stated that “the incident began as a fight between Simpkins and another student. A witness account described in the affidavit said after the fight was broken up by several people, Simpkins reached into an orange backpack, grabbed the gun and started shooting.”
Simpkins family spoke out saying, “He was robbed. It was recorded. It happened not just once, it happened twice. He was scared, he was afraid,” Carol Harrison-Lafayette, who said she is a relative speaking for Simpkins’ family, told reporters.
“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,” Harrison-Lafayette said, adding that his bullying had been reported to teachers and principals.
“He was able to get things that other teenagers cannot have, because he wore nice clothes, because he drove nice cars, he was like a target,” she told reporters and described him as an “outgoing, loving person,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
“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, according to the paper.
“The decision he made, taking the gun, we’re not justifying that,” Harrison-Lafayette continued. “That was not right. 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.”
She added: “He’s been around his grandmother, his loving mother, they taught him to love, and he was a giver … mostly well liked up until the point where he got into his senior year. … He was looking forward to graduating and doing something with his life.”
In a press conference Wednesday, ATF Special Agent Jeffrey C. Boshek II explained his personal connection with incident, saying: “As a law enforcement officer and then as a parent of a student in Arlington ISD this is kind of your scariest moment not only what you do for your job but when you have a wife who’s a teacher here and several kids who go to school in the district.”
Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement Wednesday:
“As law enforcement continues their investigation, our
investigation, our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless act of violence. Thank you to the law enforcement officers and first responders who arrived on the scene to help the victims and prevent further violence. I have spoken with the Mayor of Arlington and offered any assistance the state can provide, and I have directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to make state resources available to help bring the criminal to justice. I ask all Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the victims, their families, and the entire Timberview High School community.”
The bond release for Timothy Simpkins was posted at 25,000.
