Student arrested in Texas school shooting released from jail

[kpete]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — An 18-year-old student accused in a shooting at a Texas high school was released from jail Thursday after posting bond.

Police accuse Timothy George Simpkins of opening fire in a classroom Wednesday at Timberview High School in Arlington. Two people were shot and two others suffered unspecified injuries. He was jailed on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Police have said the shooting happened after a fight, but Simpkins' family said he had been bullied and robbed twice at school.

“The decision he made, taking the gun, we’re not justifying that,” said family spokeswoman Carol Harrison Lafayette, who spoke to reporters outside the Simpkins’ home Wednesday night while standing with other relatives. “That was not right. But he was trying to protect himself."


https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Texas-school-shooting-student-arrested-released-16516942.php

[snowybirdie]

1. It's Texas

Enter at your own risk!

[tulipsandroses]

2. I saw a short clip of the "fight". That was not a fight, he was taking a beating

The kid giving him body blows looked much bigger. The clip is only a few seconds. Don’t know what happened before. What struck me was this was in the classroom.
It further highlights the need for stricter gun laws. If he was indeed being bullied, scared kids should not have access to guns. I will be watching this case. If he was being bullied, and from the looks of the video, he was taking quite the whooping. What did the school know? Did they just brush it off as kids will be kids?

[tanyev]

3. Yes, that's what I thought too.

Shooter was getting the crap beat out of him. Doesn't justify a shooting, but it wasn't the type of shooting where someone snapped and wanted to murder as many people as possible.

[dsc]

4. I wonder under texas law if he would be justified in shooting if he were an adult

and not at school. While I certainly am not condoning this, and think it illustrates the problems with this strain of self defense law, I do wonder why kids should have a higher standard than adults.

[tulipsandroses]

5. That's a great point. I just watched another video

That was not the same video they showed on tv. This one was even more brutal, the one I saw only showed him pinned against the wall and being repeatedly punched. This 2nd video shows him being thrown around like a rag doll.
No doubt that this would be a good self defense case if we were dealing with adults.
I hope the other kid recovers but I don’t think this will be a cut and dry case. The shooter may have to pay the price for the school staff member and any other violations for having the gun in the school. Just based on the short videos I have seen, I don’t see how this would not be self defense. That’s if he didn’t start the “fight”. If the other kid was the aggressor, Will he be charged? If this is a case of a kid being bullied, and if the school was aware and did nothing, they have some explaining to do to both families.

[LisaL]

6. One of the victims is a teacher at the school.

So, no, it wouldn't be justified if he was an adult.

[dsc]

8. actually self defense that accidently harms someone is still self defense

under many of the stand your ground laws I can easily see this flying if it were adults.

[LisaL]

9. Says who?

NT

[TheProle]

10. For the record, he IS an adult

[Wingus Dingus]

7. If he was getting beat on beforehand, then it's a pretty muddled case--

I'm going to reserve judgment. Not to excuse what may have been attempted murder, but this school situation was clearly out of control. 18 years old is technically an adult, but...the brain is still growing and maturing, and factor in the emotional aspects of this situation, and it's not hard to see a kid going off the deep end and overreacting. Different than a cold calculated plan to kill.