Family of Texas School Shooting Suspect Says He Was Bullied and Afraid to Go to Class

X Facebook Email Flipboard Pinterest Print Reddit

The family of Texas school shooting suspect Timothy George Simkins says he was often bulli,” that he was robbed on at least one occasion, and that he was afraid to go to school.

“He was scared; he was afraid,” said Carol Harrison Lafayette, who is acting as a spokesperson for the family. “It wasn’t just one person that would attack him and bully him, taking his money.”

Noting that there is video footage of these incidents, she said Simkins was targeted by other students because he had nice clothes and owned a car.

“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.”

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

At least four people were injured in yesterday’s mass shooting that occurred at Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas, which has about 1,900 students.

Police responded to a shooting call about 9 a.m. The school was placed on lockdown. Police say a physical fight occurred before the shooting.

Simkins fled the scene of the shooting but later turned himself in with an attorney. Authorities have charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and set his bond at $75,000.