North Texas school shooting trial: Jury convicts teenage boy

FORT WORTH, Texas — A jury has found a teenage boy guilty of attempted death penalty in a 2021 shooting at Mansfield Timberview High School that injured three others.

Timothy Simpkins has been found guilty of a school shooting incident on October 6, 2021.

Sentencing begins Friday morning.

Closing arguments ended Thursday morning and the deliberations lasted about nine hours.

The trial began Monday, July 17, in the Tarrant County Courthouse. over 1 year 3 days durationthe jury heard testimony from school witnesses, including the teacher who was shot.

Mr. Simpkins did not testify in Wednesday’s defense.

Simpkins’ attorneys did not give opening statements to jurors when the trial began in Tarrant County Courthouse in Fort Worth on Monday morning, July 17. After outlining the case in his opening statement, the prosecutor called the first witnesses out of a long list of people who could be called to testify in the case, including Mrs. Altman, an English teacher at Timberview High School.

Prosecutors used cell phone video as part of the evidence in the trial against Simpkins.

Altman told jurors that he let student Zach Selby into the classroom even though he was late. She also shared that he hadn’t attended enough classes to complete a threat assessment assessment. Altman said in court that Selby quickly approached Simpkins in the classroom, where a fight ensued that culminated in Simpkins allegedly firing.

During the game, Timberview coach Dean Boyd responded to Altman’s call for help. When Boyd arrives at her classroom, she stops the quarrel between Simpkins and Selby.

During Boyd’s testimony, the assistant district attorney called him down from the witness stand and demonstrated to jurors Simpkins’ body language and warning to teachers and students.

The shooting wounded Selby, and one of his classmates was bludgeoned by a bullet.

Prosecutors also brought Timberview English teacher Calvin Pettit to the stand to testify to jurors about gunshot wounds. Pettit’s classroom is across the Altman hallway. I also heard her calling for her help.

One of the bullets hit Pettit, who immediately collapsed. After he regained his composure, he found out about his own injury.

Pettit also revealed in court that the shooting left him with post-traumatic stress that affected his ability to enjoy his passion for education. He was taken to the emergency room after the shooting and underwent surgery, but so far the bullet he was shot remains lodged in his shoulder.

Despite skipping opening statements, Simpkins’ attorneys repeatedly challenged the testimony of prosecution witnesses.

Monday’s testimony ended with an FBI statement that also responded to the shooting. The prosecution’s list of witnesses includes more than 40 local police officers, 11 FBI agents, and at least 40 civilians, including Timberview teachers and students.

On the second day of the trial, prosecutors showed jurors a dramatic video of the shooting inside Timberview. The video was hard to watch, and the courtroom fell silent while it played.

Prosecutors said the video showed Simpkins shooting Selby dead in the hallway after a fistfight.

Prosecution witnesses on the second day included students and teachers like coach Jeremy Walker who rushed into the office, where he found a frightened colleague.

“I literally crawled on the floor. She was crying and I heard her voice. So I just crawled over to her and held her hand and cried with her,” Walker said.

Student Shanya McNeely said she was struck by a bullet while running for safety.

“As I was running, I immediately felt a flash of light. I felt a really fast burn, so I stopped there, but the teacher kept saying I had to go, I had to go,” McNeely said.

Prosecutors dropped the case late Tuesday morning.

Selby appeared before a judge before the court resumed in the afternoon. Defense attorneys accused Selby of intimidating witnesses and posting social posts.

On the third day of the trial, the defense called a witness, a student who documented the fight between Simpkins and Selby. Afterwards, the defense counsel stayed off the case.

However, the trial was delayed for several hours after defense counsel objected to what instructions the judge should give the jury regarding the charges in this case.

The judge ruled out the self-defense claim in the instructions, which means that Simpkins’ attorneys cannot make a self-defense claim or mention self-defense in their closing arguments.

Prosecutors have charged Simpkins with attempted murder, but the judge’s order also includes the option of aggravated assault.