Family of 15-year-old Texas teen, shot 7 times by Timothy Simpkins after classroom brawl, deny he bullied the 18-year-old -family said Zacchaeus Selby is fighting for his life in hospital,’ as the shooter, freed on $75K bail, parties with his own family
Family of 15-year-old Texas teen shot SEVEN times by 18-year-old Timothy Simpkins after classroom brawl DENY he is a bully and say he is fighting for his life
Family of classroom shooter, Timothy George Simpkins, 18, say his went on shooting rampage because he was bullied and ‘stripped of his dignity’
School never responded to reports of the bullying, the family alleges
Simpkins opened fire on Wednesday after a fight in class; Zacchaeus Selby, 15, was filmed brawling with Simpkins
Arrest affidavit reveals how Simpkins pulled the gun from his backpack after teachers, including Pettitt, broke up the fight
Four people were injured in the shooting, including a 25-year-old teacher, Calvin Pettitt, who has a collapsed lung after he was shot in the back
Selby was shot ‘seven or eight times’ by Simpkins, according to an affidavit
He remains in intensive care, his family said, and is awaiting surgery
Selby’s family insisted he did not bully Simpkins and was ‘bright and respectful’
Simpkins was released on $75,000 bond on Thursday and went home to a party – He was pictured celebrating his release with family and friends, hours after his release
The family of a teenage boy shot ‘seven or eight times’ by fellow student Timothy George Simpkins after a brawl have described him as ‘a sweet and caring child’, insisting that he never bullied his attacker.
Timothy George Simpkins walked out of Tarrant County Correctional Center on Thursday afternoon after a bondsman paid some of his $75,000 bond.
The 18-year-old went on a rampage in his classroom on Wednesday after a fight with another classmate, Zacchaeus Selby. Simpkins brought a gun to his high school in Arlington, Texas on Wednesday and, after a fist fight caught on camera, opened fire.
Discharging his weapon 7-8 times, according to witnesses, he hit his adversary,15-year-old Zacchaeus Selby.
He also shot a 25-year-old English teacher, who had tried to break up the fight, in the back.
A bullet grazed a teenage girl.
The fallout of the altercation between the teens has led to accusations and counter accusations by their families on culpability.
On a GoFundMe page, Zacchaeus Selby’s family said: ‘This innocent 15 year old did not bully Tim, 18 year old senior – or deserved to be in the hospital fighting for his life.’
The crowd funding page has raised $2,513 raised of the $10,000 goal.
Timothy George Simpkins, 18, has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault and on Thursday was released on $75,000 bond, before the he was shown partying with his friends and family at home following his release.
His family claims he was bullied and robbed at school as a consequence of being singled out for his expensive clothes and car.
Although Timothy lives with his grandmother Lillie Simpkins, his mother Katrina Roberson who is in jail, wrote on a GoFundMe page: ‘Timothy was robbed at gunpoint and stripped of his possessions a couple of weeks ago.’
The GoFundMe page was created by a family friend, but it is not clears if it has been taken down now, or how much it raised.
But on a different GoFundMe, Selby’s family said he was not bullying the shooter – who is three years his senior – and that he has a ‘heart of gold.’
‘Zacchaeus is a bright young and respectful individual who lit up a room every time with his presence.
‘He has a heart of gold and does not deserve to be fighting for his life in the ICU due to being shot in an environment were kids should feel safe.
A video, taken moments before the shooting, shows Timothy Simpkins, the shooter, being beaten up in his classroom by a 15-year-old student, identified by his family as Zacchaeus Selby.
After teachers broke up the fight, Timothy went to his backpack and retrieved his gun. He shot Selby ‘seven to eight times’, according to the police report.
He also shot a teacher in the back and grazed a teenager girl with another bullet before going on the run Timothy Simpkins involved in brawl before school shooting
Yet Selby’s family, who are raising money for his medical expenses, denied he had bullied Simpkins.
‘He is a great brother, boyfriend, and coworker and does not have a bone in his body to bully anyone.
‘Zacch really does have a heart of gold, a child himself and works with kids on a daily basis.’
A fourth person, English teacher Pariesa Altman, was named as a witness in the incident, as was a teenage girl, Eyimofe Olawepo.
Simpkins said nothing as he strode out of the jail on Thursday in a blue t-shirt, matching baseball cap worn backwards, and jeans.
Simpkins has hired his own attorney, who accompanied him when he turned himself in on Wednesday, hours ino the manhunt.
He has been charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon Teen released on bond after ‘shooting four people at school’.
later that evening, relatives and friends were seen outside the house in Arlington, arriving with boxes of food.
It’s unclear why he has been charged with aggravated assault and not attempted murder or more serious charges, or why the judge granted him bail.
Hours later, one of his relatives boasted on social media that he was already home and shared videos from a family gathering inside a home. He was shown holding a baby, standing in his kitchen, chatting to relatives, and posing grinning with three girls.
The family was seen outside the house unloading a car with boxes laden with fried chicken, ready for what seemed to be a celebration of his release from jail.
His mother wrote on the GoFundMe: ‘The unfortunate backstory is that Timothy’s father was brutally beaten to death. This fact definitely heightened Timothy’s fear for his life.
‘Not to mention that the young man responsible for beating and harassing him had 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.’
The family is trying to raise $25,000 for his legal costs: in the first hour, only $20 was donated.
Meanwhile, teacher Calvin Pettitt – who was shot because he tried to break up the fight – remained in the hospital, with a bullet in his shoulder that narrowly missed his aorta.
Pettitt’s horrified sister, upon learning the shooter had been released, tweeted: ‘How can this keep managing to get worse?’
The Tarrant County District’s Attorney still has not filed a case against the teen, and his next court date has not yet been scheduled.
Simpkins – who is 5ft 9in and weighs 135lbs – opened fire in his classroom at Timberview High School on Wednesday morning, shortly after 9am.
A video of his fight with Selby was posted on social media by Simpkins’ cousin on Wednesday night in an effort to prove that he was being bullied.
It shows Simpkins – who was identified by police as wearing a light colored hoodie in the footage – being pummeled by the other boy.
Once the fight was over, Simpkins went to his orange backpack, pulled out of his gun and started shooting.
He fled in his car, and handed himself in to police on Wednesday afternoon.
Simpkins was arraigned on Thursday morning via video link. He told the judge he understood the charges and that he would retain his own attorney.
‘Multiple teachers and coaches were working to break up the altercation between Simpkins and the juvenile victim,’ his arrest documentation states.
‘Once the fight was broken up, the juvenile witness observed Simpkins go to an orange backpack and retrieve a black firearm.
In a recent social media post Timothy Simpkins, 18, is shown in his Dodge Charger, with the driver’s side door ajar. In the side pocket of the car, what looks like a gun is visible.
The teenager opened fire in school on Wednesday after a fistfight with a boy three years younger, shooting his adversary and a teacher. A bullet grazed another student. No one died but some are in a critical condition.
His family say he was being bullied in school and he lashed out in self-defense.
The school is yet to confirm if they received any reports of the bullying
Timothy George Simpkins, 18, has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault for firing a .45 caliber gun during a fistfight at school on Wednesday morning, before fleeing in his Dodge Charger.
The arrest affidavit reveals how Simpkins pulled the gun from his backpack after teachers, including Pettitt, broke up the fight
‘The witness observed Simpkins point the firearm at the juvenile victim and sees Simpkins shoot, from her account, seven to eight times.
‘The witness then observed the juvenile victim fall to the ground,’ the police report states. That report also reveals that Pettitt was one of the teachers who tried to break up the fight.
Simpkins’ family spoke out to defend him on Wednesday night, claiming he is a ‘loveable’ boy who snapped after being ‘bullied’.
They say the other kids picked on him because he has a ‘nice car’ – a $35,000 Dodge Challenger – and wears expensive clothes, like the $160 Off-White x Nike sneakers he is pictured wearing on social media.
Other social media posts show him sitting in the car, with what looks like a black gun in the side door.
Police confirmed in his arrest warrant that the gun used in the shooting was black, but they have not given any further details.
In a Facebook post the Simpkins family said the allegation of bullying was very real: “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,” the family’s Facebook post says.
The post said Simpkins had been “humiliated and stripped of his dignity” more than once, leaving him afraid to go to school or even to leave the house alone.
“All of these occurrences were brought to the attention” of school officials, “And absolutely nothing was done to protect my son. He became depressed and some days did not even want to get out of bed,” the post says. “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.”
While making sure to not excuse any use of a gun, the post adds that Simpkins’ own father was brutally murdered. – His father was beaten to death – “And this fact definitely heightened Timothy’s fear for his life — not to mention that the young men responsible for beating and harassing him recently made threats to kill him,” the post says, “So you see, my son was terrified and believed he would be murdered just like his father.”
His father was beaten to death, according to The Dallas Morning News, and his mother was in jail for much of his childhood.
Family spokesperson Carol Harrison Lafayette told reporters outside the family home that Simpkins was being relentlessly bullied and that while they were ‘sorry’ for the people he hurt, they are grateful he didn’t kill himself after being picked on by bullies .
It’s also unclear who the gun belongs to, when it was purchased and why he was able to get it into the school.
The school does not use metal detectors, like other high schools.
Simpkins lives in a $400,000 home with his grandmother Lillie in The Edgefield neighborhood, a relatively new development with large homes sporting limestone and brick facades.
He drives a 2018 Silver Dodge Charger, and his family described him as a ‘loveable’ young man who hoped to become an engineer.
‘He was robbed. It was recorded. It happened not just once, it happened twice. He was scared, he was afraid,’ said Carol Harrison Lafayette, another relative, outside the family’s home on Wednesday night.
‘It could have been a decision that he could have committed suicide… he was trying to protect himself. They were blessed financially.
‘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.
‘There is no justification of anybody … being hurt. 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.’
Cint Wheat, his cousin, wrote in a Facebook post: ‘At the end of the day my lil cousin was bullied. ‘I don’t know to feel about this he not no bad kid.’
She later claimed in the comments section of her post that her aunt went to the school to report the bullying but that nothing was done.
‘Right now they about to come up with what shoulda coulda been done when all the signs was ignored and the cries for help,’ she said.
Timberview High School has not commented on the allegations that the bullying was reported to school authorities without resolution.
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