Student arrested after school shooting

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, the Arlington Police Department tweeted. He was booked in the Arlington jail on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was being held on $75,000 bail.

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 later Wednesday, 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.”

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating how the suspect got a gun. Local police from other nearby jurisdictions, including the cities of Mansfield and Grand Prairie, assisted Wednesday.

Student Hanyla Milligan said she first got word of the shooting when she heard a commotion.

“Someone outside of my classroom said, ‘He just shot him,’” the 16-year-old said, and then she said she heard people running. “People were scared. They was crying. They was shaking.”

After news of the shooting spread, hundreds of 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 kids, who were bused over. Among them was Justin Rockhold, whose ninthgrade son had texted 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.