NOT THE ONION: Texas School Shooting Suspect’s Family Asks for $25K to Deal With His ‘Trauma’
In a since-shuttered GoFundMe petition, the family of Timothy Simpkins asked people to contribute $25,000 to help the Arlington, Texas school shooting suspect cope with his “traumatic experience.”
THE CAMPAIGN
Screenshots captured by the Daily Mail before the page was removed show Simpkins’ mother describing the hardships her son has endured, including brutal bullying at school, being the victim of a robbery and the violent death of his father.
“My son has gone through a very traumatic experience,” she wrote. “He needs counseling and therapy.”
- On Friday, following Simpkins’ release from police custody on $75,000 bail, the 18-year-old Timberview High School student’s family threw him a welcome home party, the New York Post reported.
- A spokesperson for the family told reporters last week that the teen acted in self-defense and bought a handgun for protection after being bullied.
- A video circulated widely on social media purportedly shows Simpkins on the receiving end of a beating from a fellow classmate.
A spokesperson for GoFundMe told Insider the Simpkins’ family’s campaign was removed because it violated the site’s terms of service.
THE SHOOTING
Arlington police said the suspect opened fire following a fight between two students at Timberview High School on Wednesday.
- Simpkins turned himself into police hours after the incident, and was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
- 15-year-old Timothy Selby, the youngest of the four people wounded in the shooting, remained hospitalized Monday.
- English teacher Calvin Pettit, 25, was released from the hospital Monday, police said.
THE REACTION
While a number of liberal activists and journalists on Twitter blamed the Arlington school shooting on Texas’ relatively accommodating gun laws, some conservatives viewed the incident as an indictment of media double standards.
When a white teen does a school shooting, WHITE always makes its way into the headlines. When it’s a black shooter, almost never! I guess in the bad old days it used to be the reverse. A double standard in both cases—but if it was wrong in the past, why is it right today?
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) October 6, 2021
Alpha News managing editor Kyle Hooten contrasted the coverage of Simpkins with the widespread denunciation of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse: involved in claimed self defense shooting — $2,000,000 bail
Timothy Simpkins: involved in school shooting — $75,000 bail pic.twitter.com/OyysAWEOph
— Kyle Hooten (@KyleHooten2) October 7, 2021