Family says Arlington school shooting suspect was ‘terrified,’ ‘beaten on a daily basis’

The family of a Mansfield Timberview High student who’s charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in a Wednesday shooting at the school wrote in a lengthy Facebook post Thursday that Timothy Simpkins was “beaten, taunted, and harassed on a daily basis.”

Simpkins, 18, is accused of injuring four people in the shooting at Timberview High School in Arlington. A 15-year-old student who started a fight with Simpkins and a 25-year-old teacher who helped break up the fight were shot when Simpkins pulled a handgun from his backpack and opened fire, police wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit. Another student was grazed by a bullet, and a teacher had minor injuries from a fall.

Simpkins was released on bail from the Tarrant County Jail on Thursday.

Family declined to comment to reporters outside the jail, but online, a family spokesperson attributed a statement on behalf of Simpkins’ mother and grandmother.

The Facebook post attested to Simpkins’ character, saying that their son was painted as a “menace to our society and nothing could be further from the truth.”

“He has never been known to bother anyone and would do anything to help someone in need,” the post says.

“From the beginning of this school year, Timothy has been bullied at school. He has been beaten, taunted, and harassed on a daily basis,” the post read. “Recently he was ambushed by a group of young males outside of school, stripped of his clothing in front of a crowd of onlookers, and robbed of his money and possessions. He has been humiliated and stripped of his dignity on more than one occasion which led to him being fearful to go to school or even leave our home without an adult.”

The Facebook post said the issues were brought to school officials’ attention, but no actions were taken.

At a press conference Wednesday, Mansfield school district Associate Superintendent of Communications Donald Williams said, “We don’t know if [bullying] was tied to [the shooting], but what I will say is we take the safety and security of our students and our faculty and staff seriously. ... The entire situation will be assessed and evaluated and for us as a district we’re always looking at ways in which we can improve and get better. ... We have law enforcement officers on every single one of our campuses, I think that’s important for the community to know and that’s been something that’s been a tremendous benefit for us as a school district.”

“We’re going to continue to investigate this particular situation and the students that are involved will be dealt with in accordance to our Student Code of Conduct, and that’s the way that whole process is handled,” Williams added.

The family’s post said Simpkins “became depressed and some days did not even want to get out of bed. I am certain that he was fearful for his safety and felt that he had no support from those in authority whose responsibility it was to protect him.”

The family also added that Simpkins’ father was “brutally beaten to death,” and that it “definitely heightened Timothy’s fear for his life.”

“Many of you have seen the video of the brutal beating Timothy received — he never even returned a blow — he simply balled up and covered his head,” the family’s statement said, referencing video of the fight that preceded the shooting. “Not to mention that the young men responsible for beating and harassing him recently made threats to kill him so you see, my son was terrified and believed he would be murdered just like his father.”

The Facebook status described the 18-year-old as a “kind and thoughtful child,” who earned straight A’s before transferring to Timberview. Simpkins attended a private school and wanted to become an engineer, according to the social media post.

“Please know that I am not suggesting that taking a gun to school was the right choice to make, I am just saying that there is so much more to the story and all of the details should be known so that my son can be properly defended,” the post said.

Simpkins’ attorney, Kim Te’Nee Cole, spoke briefly after he left the jail Thursday. She spoke out against what she called a “false narrative” that described Wednesday’s shooting as a “mass shooting.”

“Obviously what happened [Wednesday] was very tragic,” she said. “I believe it being portrayed as the standard issue in school shootings is simply a media issue and not a legal issue.”

Cole said the family did not have an additional statement Thursday afternoon.

Read the full Facebook post below:

(The words of Tim’s mother & grandmother)

If the photo you see on your screen right now were the first image you saw of my son, what type of child would you say that he was? Would you be able to believe that he was a polite and kind young man who comes from a 2 parent home? Would you believe that he was a brilliant young man who is a straight-A student, who until just recently attended private school, and who has a impressive GPA? Would you believe that he has dreams of attending college and becoming a Engineer?

The irony is that all of these things are true of Timothy Simpkins, but it only took the media 1 day and 1 questionable photograph to convince the country that my son was a menace to our society and nothing could be further from the truth.

Timothy has always been a kind and thoughtful child who loves to learn. Because he spends so much time focusing on his studies, most of his relatives call him the “little nerd” of the family. He has never been known to bother anyone and would do anything to help someone in need.

From the beginning of this school year, Timothy has been bullied at school. He has been beaten, taunted, and harassed on a daily basis. Recently he was ambushed by a group of young males outside of school, stripped of his clothing in front of a crowd of onlookers, and robbed of his money and possessions. He has been humiliated and stripped of his dignity on more than one occasion which led to him being fearful to go to school or even leave our home without an adult. All of these occurrences were brought to the attention of the Arlington school system and absolutely nothing was done to protect my son. He became depressed and some days did not even want to get out of bed. I am certain that he was fearful for his safety and felt that he had no support from those in authority whose responsibility it was to protect him. Today I am appealing to you as a mother who knows her son. Not the picture that the media has painted of him, but the child I and his grandparents raised him to be after his father’s death. Many of you have seen the video of the brutal beating Timmothy received - he never even returned a blow- he simply balled up and covered his head. But the backstory that you don’t know is that his father was brutally beaten to death and this fact definitely heightened Timmothy’s fear for his life not to mention that the young men responsible for beating and harassing him recently made threats to kill him so you see, my son was terrified and believed he would be murdered just like his father. I believe my son’s entire story should be heard and I am asking that you help me share it in an effort to balance the one-sided narrative that the media is broadcasting. Please know that I am not suggesting that taking a gun to school was the right choice to make, I am just saying that there is so much more to the story and all of the details should be known so that my son can be properly defended. We need your help to raise money for his defense. Any amount will be appreciated. Please donate what you can to help me fight for my son’s future.