Texas school shooting suspect’s family says he was robbed, bullied
The family of Texas school shooting suspect Timothy George Simkins claims the 18-year-old was bullied, repeatedly robbed and scared of going to school, reported The Dallas Morning News.
At least four people were injured when Simkins allegedly opened fire at Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday morning, according to authorities.
Simpkins fled the scene of the shooting. However, he later turned himself in with an attorney. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and his bond is currently set at $75,000.
Wheat also posted a video on social media of what appears to be a fight involving Simpkins, but details are still yet to be determined.
Carol Harrison Lafayette, who is acting as a spokesperson for Simkins’s family, said the teenager was targeted because he had nice clothes and drove a nice car, according to the the Morning News.
“He was scared; he was afraid,” she said, noting that there were recordings of incidents. “It wasn’t just one person that would attack him and bully him, taking his money.”
“This is a situation where Timothy was being bullied,” Harrison Lafayette told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It had been reported to the principals right along with the teachers. I’m not trying to justify the gun that was brought, but when you’re being bullied, when there’s bullies, throughout this nation you hear of young people … committing suicide.”