‘We knew exactly what to do.’ Students describe shooting in Timberview High School
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Mansfield Timberview High School shooting
Four people were injured in a shooting at Mansfield Timberview High School in Arlington. Police arrested the shooter, a student at the school.
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Catherine Esquivel texted her mom when she heard gunshots at her school Wednesday morning. “I love you,” she told her.
Esquivel, 16, was in a classroom near where a fight broke out before a shooting at Timberview High School in Arlington.
“We heard the fights going on, and we’re like, ‘What’s going on in there,’ and we realized it was people fighting,” she said. “The teacher opened the door to take a peek, and that’s when we heard the gunshots and went into hiding.
“She didn’t tell us what to do — we knew exactly what to do from the drills we have always done. And she put tables in front of the door and we hid.”
Esquivel said she “texted my mom and said I love her and my siblings and everything. And told her what was going on. “
Esquivel spoke about what happened after she was reunited with her mother Linda Esquivel at the Mansfield school district’s Center for Performing Arts.
As events unfolded, Catherine Esquivel said, she just hoped she would make it home safely and be able to share her experience with others. “I can be the person who says, ‘It’s going to be OK, you just have to be strong.’”
Timothy Simpkins, 18, was identified as the suspect in the shooting and is facing charges of aggravated assault, police said. He turned himself in, accompanied by an attorney, at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday Police said one student and one adult were shot and another student was grazed by a bullet. An adult fell and suffered minor injuries, police said.
Shooting interrupts test
Sean Larry said he was taking a test when an announcement came over the intercom about a lock down. “We thought it was a drill,” he said. “We were talking and stuff. Then we heard gunshots throughout the hallway. Everybody got scared, and the teacher told us to stay calm.”
Larry said he is friends with Simpkins and the student who was shot. “Those two used to be friends but aren’t anymore,” he said.
Of the student who was shot, Larry said, “I just know he’s a good friend, he’s always the life of the party.”
Larry said he feels like the school has a safe environment, “but the stuff that happened today — it’s getting real.”
Larry’s mother, LaShanda Larry, said parents rallied together after the shooting and texted each other when they couldn’t get in touch with their children. “We believe Timberview is a good school,” she said.
Kaleb Coss, a ninth-grader, said he heard gunshots from his classroom. “We immediately ran to the corner,” he said. “We saw shadows running past the door ... Some people were screaming and crying. People were serious in my classroom, we were quiet. People were crying but quietly.”
Coss said he and others waited for four hours in their classroom before they were searched for weapons and bused to the performing arts center. The whole process took about seven hours, he said.
His mother, Ariana Coss, said the wait was frustrating but church volunteers helped comfort people with prayer. “I am very grateful for everybody who helps like this today,” she said. “Every day I drop them at school, I always pray for God to let us be home together tonight. Now it has a powerful meaning for me to be able to go back home and see my loved ones.”
‘Mommy, I love you’
Palwsha Mashriqi said she didn’t know why her daughter texted her “Mommy I love you” when she was supposed to be in class, but it worried her.
A sophomore at Timberview, Fatima Mashriqi said she didn’t know what else to say. She heard gunshots and grabbed a chair from the classroom and stood by the door, trying to calm down classmates.
Palwshah Mashriqi said she soon found out why her daughter sent her that text and was filled with dread. When she learned her daughter was safe and heading to the performing arts center, the relief was indescribable.
Standing outside the center, she listened to her daughter recount the events of the day and talked with friends who offered to buy their family dinner so they didn’t have to cook.
A discussion with the shooter
Dylan Jones, 16, said he was talking to Simpkins about 10 minutes before the shooting.
Dylan and a group of students were talking during first period and planned to skip the next period and get burgers, he said. They invited Simpkins, Dylan said, but he said no, and the group decided not to go. Simpkins did not seem angry, Dylan said, and there was no indication that the 18-year-old was planning to fight anyone.
“I don’t think none of this was planned,” Dylan said.
Dylan talked to Simpkins at about 8:55 am, after first period. During second period, he was on the other side of the school from where the shooting happened.
“We were gonna get burgers. If he had said yes to the burgers, this wouldn’t have happened,” Dylan said.
Dylan’s brother picked him up outside of the performing arts center at about 1:30 pm. Dylan said he waited in his classroom for about two hours before they loaded them onto buses.
He described Simpkins as “weird kind of” but OK to talk to. He said the two are not friends.
Security measures
Kimberly Alvarado, who was picking up her daughter, said, “We have a great school and this can happen anywhere.”
The school “never had anything like this there before, and I think they’re going to take some serious precautions,” she said. “I mean we have police on the campus — thank God they’re there. They were able to move quickly, but the kid already ran out of school by then.”
School district officials said the high school does not have metal detectors or a clear bag policy. The district will evaluate its policies in the wake of the shooting.
“I hope they don’t say they have to wear clear backpacks or anything like that, but I think metal detectors, would be good, but I don’t know,” Alvarado said. “I mean, they could still find a way to get a gun in there, right, or a knife, and, you know, they can find a way around.”
Reporters James Hartley and Jessika Harkay contributed to this story.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 3:18 PM.
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