Trial for accused Arlington high school shooter begins Monday
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSNewsTexas.com) - The trial for the admitted shooter at an Arlington high school begins Monday.
Two students and one teacher were injured during the shooting at Timberview High School on Oct 6, 2021, when Timothy Simpkins allegedly opened fire, according to court documents.
At the time, an injured 15-year-old student was in critical condition in the ICU and had to undergo surgery for his gunshot wounds.
A 25-year-old teacher, Calvin Pettitt suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
According to the Arlington Police report, Simpkins brought a gun to school and at some point during or after a fight, he got out the 45-caliber handgun and started shooting.
Simpkins, now 19, turned himself in to police hours after the shooting. He is charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of attempted capital murder.
Simpkins was released on bond in 2021; however, he was arrested in Dec. 2021 for an alleged "violation of his bond requirements."
Simpkins' attorney said the shooting was a result of "pervasive bullying" at the high school, a claim the Arlington Police deny.
"There's a distinction between a mass school shooting and a shooting that happened to occur in a school," said Kim T. Cole, the former attorney for the Simpkins family. "In this case, Timothy ... He was being brutally beaten, and he was defending himself from someone who was launching a brutal attack and that's something totally different than what happened with all the other 'school shootings.'"
Police Chief Al Jones said the department's investigation did not uncover evidence of bullying being involved in the shooting, and alleged that Simpkins was involved in "high-risk activity" with another student.
"We can't and we won't say that there was any evidence of bullying that day or any other day," Jones said. "Some of those who suffered life threatening bullet wounds included a teacher who tried to break up the fight."
Friday, a number of documents were filed by the defense attorneys in the Timothy Simpkins case.
- Motion to quash the indictment under which he was charged.
- Motion to exclude "extraneous offenses" by Simpkins, including bringing a firearm to school the day of the shooting, excluding a photograph of a firearm in his car, selling a controlled substance
- Requests if he is found guilty that punishment be assessed by the jury
- Requests that since Simpkins has never been convicted of a felony in this or any other state, that the Court submit to the jury an application for a probated sentence
The trial is expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. at the 317st District Court in Fort Worth.
