Here’s what we know about the suspect, shooting at Mansfield Timberview High School

Four people were injured in a shooting when a student opened fire after a fight in a classroom at Timberview High School in the Mansfield school district on Wednesday morning, police said.

Arlington Assistant Police Chief Kevin Kolbye said that one student and an adult staff member were shot, and another student was grazed by a bullet. Multiple sources identified the 25-year-old man who was shot as Calvin Pettitt, an English teacher at the school. The 15-year-old student who was shot underwent surgery and he is in the ICU, authorities said. A Medical City Arlington hospital spokesman said one victim was in critical condition and the other two patients were in good condition. The student who was grazed was expected to be released from the hospital Wednesday. A woman who had minor injuries from a fall declined medical treatment.

Suspect is in custody

Timothy Simpkins, 18, turned himself in with his attorney about 1:30 p.m. and was being interviewed by detectives, police said.

He had fled the school after the shooting, authorities said. Police found Simpkins’ car, a 2018 silver Dodge Charger, at an apartment complex in Grand Prairie.

Police said they also found a .45-caliber handgun on a street in Grand Prairie that they believe was used in the shooting and it will be turned over to the ATF for ballistics testing. It’s not known how the suspect got the gun into the school, but district officials say the high school doesn’t have metal detectors.

Simpkins faces three counts of aggravated assault, police said. He was booked into jail Wednesday afternoon, and his bail was set at $75,000.

Police searched the home where Simpkins was living with grandmother, in the 600 block of Harris Ridge Drive. A SWAT team had surrounded the house, not knowing whether the suspect was home, before Simpkins turned himself in.

Simpkins’ family told reporters Wednesday evening that he had been bullied and robbed at school and brought a gun to class to protect himself.

About Mansfield Timberview

The 1,900-student school at 7700 S. Watson Road in Arlington opened in 2004. Two police officers are at each school, according to district spokesperson Donald Williams. The Mansfield ISD Police Department has been a fully authorized agency by the state since 1993.

Fight captured on video

The fight that led to the shooting was captured on video by other students and shared on social media.

What students are saying

Catherine Esquivel texted her mom when she heard gunshots. “I love you,” she told her. Esquivel, 16, was in a classroom near where the fight broke out. “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 hid.”

Parents wait to see children

Hundreds of parents stood in a winding line outside the Mansfield school district’s Center for Performing Arts on Wednesday morning, waiting to be reunited with their children after the shooting at Timberview High School.

Students were being bused to the center, and a line of cars blocked traffic on the roads outside the building. In the parking lots, parents and younger children rushed to the front of the building. Police officers and other officials pointed the crowd to the line and told them to have their IDs ready to be checked as they picked up their children. As of noon, several buses with students had pulled up to the back of the building.

Parents shared texts from their children and showed videos from social media of the fight that appeared to precede the shooting.

Prayer service

At Cornerstone Baptist Church on Wednesday night, prayers were offered for everyone affected by the shooting earlier in the day at Mansfield Timberview High School.

Timberview student Ashlyn Henson, 15, said she was on a choir field trip when the shooting occurred. She was filled Wednesday night with fear that she could have been in danger had she been on the school’s campus.

“I just want to remind everyone just to go home and hug your family,” she said with a voice choked in emotion. “Just tell them you love them.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 5:04 PM.