At least four injured in shooting at Texas high school; suspect in custody

At least four people were injured during a shooting at a Texas high school on Wednesday morning, according to authorities.

Kevin Kolbye, assistant police chief at the Arlington Police Department, told reporters during a news conference that three of the victims at Timberview High School in Arlington were taken to the hospital. The other victim suffered minor injuries, but refused treatment.

The suspect, Timothy George Simpkins, an 18-year old male who was confirmed to be a student at the school, is now in custody after he fled the scene on Wednesday, according to Kolbye. He turned himself in with an attorney.

He will be charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and is currently being held in the police station at Ott Cribbs in Arlington. Kolbye said that detectives were talking to him at the time.

Kolbye announced at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that one of the victims, a student, is out of surgery and currently in the intensive care unit.

Another victim, an adult male who did not undergo surgery, is in good condition. Kolbye said another female victim who may have been grazed by a bullet or injured in another way is expected to be released on Wednesday.

Two victims will remain in the hospital, Kolbye added.

The Mansfield Independent School District (ISD) announced in a statement on Wednesday afternoon that one student and one staff member were injured.

The preliminary belief among authorities, according to Kolbye, is that a fight broke out between a student and another individual in a class, which led to a gun being used. Based on a video he viewed of the altercation, there were other students in the classroom.

Authorities said a 45 caliber handgun was recovered in the streets of Grand Prairie and has been turned over to the ATF for analysis. They could not, however, confirm that it was the weapon used in the shooting.

The Mansfield ISD district wrote in their statement that the school has received the “all clear,” adding that the reunification process for students and families “has been solidified.”

The district said students were “safely escorted on buses” to the reunification center at the Center for the Performing Arts, located at 1110 W. Debbie Lane.

Kolbye on Wednesday afternoon said all students, roughly 1,700 at Timberview High School, have been evacuated.

At around noon local time in Texas students were being escorted out of the school, according to video footage taken at the scene.

Kolbye said authorities received a call at around 9:15 a.m. local time this morning of a shooting on the second floor of Timberview High School.

Authorities said Mansfield ISD houses police officers in the Timberview High School, so they were “on scene immediately to render safety to our students.”

A manhunt involving multiple agencies followed the shooting after Simpkins fled the scene. Authorities believed that he was driving in a 2018 silver Dodge Charger.

Kolbye said the probe into the incident is going to be a “long-term continuing investigation in processing the crime scene.”

Chief Daniel Scesney of the Grand Prairie Police Department, during the Wednesday afternoon press conference, urged young people in the Arlington community to stop making claims regarding unsubstantiated threats on social media.

He said such actions are causing resources to be diverted, and warned that anyone who engages in such activity will be prosecuted.

“A lot of our law enforcement resources were being diverted with inaccurate social media threats. I’ve got a call to action for parents: take a look at your kids’ social media. If they’re putting out threats on their schools, they’re going to be arrested and they’re going to be prosecuted,” Scesney said.

“It’s very important that you get involved with your kids’ social media. During the entire onset of this event our teams were being divided away from leads of our suspect location with inaccurate information at schools all over North Texas, so it would be very helpful to us for our parents to take a look at their social media accounts of their kids,” he added.

Kolbye sounded a similar note, telling reporters, “I’m just pleading with the community out there to try to stop any type of threats that are coming through social media.”

Jeffrey Boshek, the ATF special agent in charge, said at the Wednesday news conference that his team “won’t sleep, working with our partners here, to figure out how he got this weapon in his hand to come into school and cause this tragedy today.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) released a statement recognizing the victims of the shooting and thanking the officers who responded to the incident.

“As law enforcement continues their investigation, our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless act of violence. Thank you to the law enforcement officers and first responders who arrived on the scene to help the victims and prevent further violence,” Abbott said in a statement.

“I have spoken with the Mayor of Arlington and offered any assistance the state can provide, and I have directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to make state resources available to help bring the criminal to justice. I ask all Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the victims, their families, and the entire Timberview High School community,” he added.

Updated at 3:22 p.m.