Live Updates: Suspect in custody after 4 injured in Texas school shooting
get the free appAn 18-year-old suspect has been taken into custody after four people were injured in a shooting at a Texas high school, police said Wednesday. The suspect, Timothy George Simpkins, will be charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police received a call around 9:15 a.m. reporting a shooting on the second floor of Timberview High School in Arlington, according to Kevin Kolbye, the city's assistant police chief. Four people were injured, but only three were taken to a local hospital, he said. The three hospitalized victims — one student who had surgery, one adult male and one female — are all expected to survive.
Preliminary information suggests that a student got into a fight with another person in a class, and a gun was used, according to Kolbye.
The suspect turned himself in through an attorney, Kolbye said, and a handgun was recovered in the streets, which will be turned over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police have not yet confirmed if it was the weapon used in the shooting.
Students were taken by school bus to a nearby performing arts center to meet their parents, the school district said in a statement. Police said most students have been safely evacuated.
All victims expected to survive
All of the victims are expected to survive the shooting, assistant Arlington police chief Kevin Kolbye said. One victim, a student, was in surgery but is now out. An adult male is in good condition, and a woman is expected to be released later today.
Suspect taken into custody
Timothy George Simpkins, 18, has been taken into custody, assistant Arlington police chief Kevin Kolbye said at a news conference. He will be charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A weapon was recovered in the streets, which will be turned over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Kolbye said. Police have not yet confirmed if it was the weapon used in the shooting.
"It's just so scary": Mother of student speaks out
A woman whose son is a junior at the school told CBS Dallas Fort-Worth that her son called her on FaceTime to inform her of the shooting. She said he was in the classroom next to where the shooting occurred, but he was safe.
"Thank god for FaceTime, because I could see him, and he was calm," she said. "But it's just so scary."
Though her son was not injured, she said, she's concerned about the impact the shooting will have.
"My son heard those gunshots, and I'm wondering now, we've gotta process this, we've gotta make sure that we're gonna be ok," she said.
At the time of the interview, she had not yet reunited with her son.
"I'm just gonna run to him and hug him," she said.
4 people injured, with 3 taken to hospital
Four people were injured in the incident, assistant Arlington police chief Kevin Kolbye said at a press conference. One had minor injuries and refused treatment, and the other three were taken to the hospital.
Two of the victims had gunshot wounds, Kolbye said, adding that three of the victims were students, and one "may have" been a teacher.
Students being taken to reunification center after "all clear" given
Students are now being escorted on school buses to the reunification center where they will meet their parents, the school district said in a statement obtained by CBS DFW. Footage from the station showed the first group of students leaving the school in a line after police gave the "all clear" at the school.
The reunification center is at the Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, Texas.
Parent reunification center established
Arlington Police said a reunification center for parents has been established at a nearby performing arts center, where students will eventually be taken to once they are cleared to leave the school.
Parents have been urged not to come to the school, according to CBS DFW.
Arlington police conducting "methodical search" of scene
Police in Arlington, Texas, where the school is located, confirmed they are on the scene. The police department said it is conducting a "methodical search" of the scene.
