Alleged Texas high school shooter released from jail

A student who is accused of opening fire in a Texas high school on Wednesday has been released on bond, according to multiple reports.

Timothy George Simpkins, 18, posted a $75,000 bond and was released from Tarrant County Jail on Thursday, according to local ABC affiliate WFAA. Four people were injured in the shooting.

Simpkins, who was a student at Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas, was inside a classroom on the second floor of the building when a fight started between him and a 15-year-old student, according to an arrest warrant reported by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  

Videos of the fight were circulating on social media, the newspaper reported, one of which showed Simkins being hit by another student.

Once teachers were able to break up the fight, Simpkins walked to an orange backpack, grabbed a gun and began shooting at the student he fought with.

One student told police that Simpkins shot seven to eight times, and others said they heard three to six shots, according to the Star-Telegram. 

The student who fought Simpkins was in critical condition as of Thursday, according to the newspaper. A teenage girl was grazed by a bullet but was treated and released from the hospital.

A 25-year-old teacher who broke up the fight was also shot, but is in good condition, the newspaper reported. Another teacher was injured, but she fell and was not shot.

Simkins fled the scene of the shooting, but later turned himself in. He is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The Hill has reached out to the Arlington Police Department for comment.

Carol Harrison Lafayette, who is acting as the spokesperson for Simpkins’ family, told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that the 18-year-old was being bullied. 

“The decision he made, taking the gun, we’re not justifying that,” Harrison Lafayette told the newspaper. “That was not right. But he was trying to protect himself. And so we hope that the police department does the investigation properly.”