ARLINGTON, Texas—An 18-year-old student opened fire during a fight at his Dallas-area high school on Wednesday, injuring four people and then fleeing before being taken into custody hours later, authorities said.
Timothy George Simpkins was taken into custody without incident and charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault with a gun, the Arlington Police Department wrote on Twitter.
One person was in critical condition, another was in good condition, and a third person was treated for minor abrasions and was scheduled to be released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, police said. A fourth person was hurt but did not require treatment at a hospital. Police said earlier that three of the four injured were students.
The shooting at Timberview High School, which is in Arlington but belongs to the school district in neighboring Mansfield, stemmed from a fight that broke out in a classroom, Arlington Assistant Police Chief Kevin Kolbye said at news conference before Simpkins’ arrest.
“This is not a random act of violence,” he said. “This is not somebody attacking our school.”
Timberview serves about 1,900 students in the ninth through 12th grades. The sprawling complex opened in 2004.
After news of the shooting spread, parents gathered at the Mansfield Independent School District Center for the Performing Arts about 5 miles from the high school to be reunified with their children, who were bused over. Among them was Justin Rockhold, whose ninth-grade son had texted him to let him know he was OK.
Rockhold said he has served in the military and he drew on that experience to instruct his son, telling him to keep his head down and be still to stay safe.
“I’m just blessed today that my kid’s safe,” he said.
