A Texas high school student who opened fire on his campus and wounded four people has been released on bail the day after he carried out his shooting, as reported by the New York Post.
Timothy Simpkins, an 18-year-old African-American student of Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas, was on the run for a brief period of time after committing the shooting yesterday, with the story drawing national attention for several hours. He eventually turned himself in, accompanied by his lawyer, after an extensive manhunt.
After being incarcerated in the Tarrant County Jail, Simpkins was released to home confinement after posting a bond of just $75,000. Simpkins was escorted into a white sedan by relatives as he was surrounded by reporters.
The shooting took place on Wednesday, with video of the incident going viral. Simpkins got into a fight with another student during class, with a teacher intervening to break up the fight. Although both students appeared to calm down after the teacher separated them, Simpkins suddenly withdrew a firearm from his backpack and fired multiple shots, hitting three people.
Three of the victims – Zacchaeus Selby, Eyimofe Olawepo and Pariesa Altma – were fellow students, with one of them being just 15 years old. The fourth victim was the teacher who tried to resolve the situation, 25-year-old English teacher Calvin Pettitt, who was shot in the back; his injuries include several broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Following the shooting, representatives of the family have claimed, without evidence, that the shooting was a justified act of self-defense from Simpkins. Kim Cole, a civil rights attorney representing Simpkins and his family, issued a statement claiming that what happened on Wednesday was not a “standard-issue school shooting.”
“All school shootings are tragic. However, in this situation, this was not someone who was just out to go and shoot a school and had made up their mind [and said,] ‘You know hey I’m upset and I’m just going to shoot anyone I see.’” Cole argued.
Cole subsequently demanded that the media “correct their narrative with regard to what happened, and…respect the family’s privacy.”