Jury finds Texan teen Timothy Simpkins, 19, GUILTY of attempted murder – two years after he shot 15-year-old classmate SEVEN TIMES and injured teacher after school brawl

A Texas teen has been found guilty of attempted capital murder for shooting three people, including two classmates, at his high school nearly two years ago.

Timothy Simpkins, 19, shot three people — fellow students Zacchaeus Selby, then 15, and Shaniya McNeely, as well as a teacher, Calvin Pettit — at Timberview High School on Oct. 6, 2021. The sentencing phase of the trial begins Friday.

In Texas, attempted murder carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years, as Simpkins is charged as an adult.

The Tarrant County prosecutor called Simpkins “a cold-blooded killer” during closing arguments Wednesday.

Defense attorney Lesa Pamplin argued that Selby was the real threat after he tried to beat up Simpkins.

“The terror was outside the classroom. The terror was not in the classroom. The fear was that Zach was pacing up and down the hallway trying to find someone to film him brutally beating Tim. That was the threat! The threat was from outside. If the threat hadn’t been let in, we wouldn’t be here,” Pamplin said Fox 4..

Simpkins was originally arrested on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a shooting at Mansfield Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas that seriously injured a student.

He was released on bail the next day and celebrated with his family later that afternoon.

Simpkins – who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds – opened fire in his classroom at Timberview High School shortly after 9 a.m. on October 6, 2021, after an argument with fellow student Selby.

Video of their fight was posted to social media by Simpkins’ cousin on Wednesday night in an attempt to prove he was being bullied.

It shows Simpkins – who was identified by police as wearing a light-colored hoodie in the footage – being beaten by Selby, who is three years his junior, while holding his hands around his head.

As teachers and coaches tried to restrain Simpkins, he went to his orange backpack, pulled out a .45 caliber handgun and began shooting Selby, who was seriously wounded.

He also punched a teacher, Calvin Pettit, then 25, who tried to break up the fight, and McNeely, who suffered an abrasion.

A pregnant teacher was also injured when she tripped in the ensuing chaos.

A police report of the incident says a witness saw Simpkins shoot “from her account seven to eight times.”

“The witness then saw that the child victim fell to the ground,” the police report reads.

Simpkins fled in a Silver Dodge Charger before later turning himself into authorities.

He was given $75,000 bail, part of which was paid by a slave, allowing Simpkins to return home under house arrest.

Under the terms of his house arrest, Simpkins was not allowed to use a weapon and was required to remain within 300 yards of the school.

Selby, meanwhile, was released from the hospital on October 20 after undergoing several surgeries Dallas morning news reports.

Simpkins’ family spoke out to defend him following his arrest, claiming he is a “sweet” kid who snapped after being “bullied.”

They say the other kids bullied him for having a “nice car” — a $35,000 Dodge Challenger — and wearing nice clothes, such as a pair of $160 Off-White x Nike sneakers that he’s portrayed with on social media.

Simpkins lives with his grandmother Lillie in a $400,000 house. He drives a 2018 Silver Dodge Charger and his family described him as a “sweet” boy. It is unclear what his parents do for work or how involved they are in his life.

‘He’s been robbed. It’s been recorded. It didn’t happen once, it happened twice. He was scared, he was scared,” Carol Harrison Lafayette, a relative, told reporters outside the family’s home.

“It could have been a decision that he could have killed himself… he was trying to protect himself. They were financially blessed.

“He could get things that other teenagers can’t get because he wore nice clothes, because he drove nice cars, he was like a target.

“There’s no justification for anyone… getting hurt. We need to take a look at the fact that bullying is real. And it costs us all.

And my apologies. We as a family ask for forgiveness for any kind of pain,” she continued.

Cint Wheat, his cousin, wrote in a Facebook post, “At the end of the day, my little cousin was bullied. I don’t know what to make of this, he’s not a bad boy.

She later claimed in the comments section of her post that her aunt went to the school to report the bullying but nothing was done.

“Right now they’re on the verge of thinking what could have happened while ignoring all the signals and the cries for help,” she said.

In the aftermath, a GoFundMe was also set up by Dallas-based attorney Kim T. Cole asking the public to give $25,000 to help Simpkins.

It included a lengthy statement from his mother, Katrina, which reads, “Many of you have seen the video of the brutal beating Timothy Simpkins received. He didn’t even return a hit. He just balled up and covered his head to protect himself.

“What you don’t know is that Timothy was robbed at gunpoint a few weeks ago and was robbed of his belongings,” she wrote. And the unfortunate backstory is that Timothy’s father was brutally beaten to death. This fact certainly increased Timothy’s fear for his life.

Not to mention the young man responsible for beating and harassing him had recently threatened to kill him, so you see, my son was terrified and believed he was going to be killed just like his father.

She said that while she’s “not suggesting that bringing a gun to school was the right thing to do,” there’s “so much more to it.”

“My son went through a very traumatic experience. He needs counseling and therapy.

“Please donate what you can to help,” she added.

The page attracted $150 in donations before GoFundMe shut it down for a policy violation.