MANSFIELD (1080 KRLD)- Police have found and apprehended the student who fired a weapon injuring four people at Timberview HS Wednesday morning.
18 year-old Timothy George Simpkins, left the scene in a 2018 Silver Dodge Charger and after two hours on the run was arrested without incident and now charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault with a weapon.
"The good news is our suspect is in custody," says Arlington Police Assistant Chief Kevin Kolbye. "Detectives are talking to him at this point in time."
Police say they began getting phone calls at 9:15 am regarding a shooting coming from the second floor of the high school. Police confirmed there were four victims. Three of them taken to the hospital.
One male student had emergency surgery. He survived and is in critical condition. An adult who may have been a teacher was also injured and will also spend the night at the hospital. The third person taken to the hospital was a girl who was grazed and is being released today. The fourth victim had some minor injury at the school and was not taken to hospital.
"We need to make sure we pray for them and also pray for their families," Kolbye says.
Police believe this was not a random act of violence and say that there was a fight between a student and another individual in a class, when Simpkins drew a gun.
Over 1,700 students had to be evacuated. The reunification of students and their families is complete.
"We know this is a tragic incident for these high school kids," Kolbye says.
Some parents went straight to the school when they heard about the shooting through social media.
"We don't have any answers yet, so we just don't know nothing," one father said as he waited to hear from his daughter.
Another dad says he was afraid to reach out to his daughter in case the gunman was in her room.
"I didn't want to call or text her in case she was hiding or whatever was going on," he says. "I didn't want to bring any attention to her."
Both say they later found out their kids were okay.
A video taken by a student in the school and posted to social media shows a classroom full of students scrambling when they hear shots fired in the building.
The Mansfield School District has canceled classes at Timberview Thursday. The district said everyone needs time to heal and is offering counseling for students, staff, and families who may need it to help them deal with what happened.
Counselors will be available at the Word of Truth Church on Webb Ferrell Rd in Arlington starting at 7:25 am, as well as at the Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts.
Virtual Counseling is also being offered from 11 a.m. to noon.
The school also said because of the investigation no one will have access to the Timberview campus.
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