GoFundMe has taken down an account set up by the family of the Arlington school shooter.
Timothy Simpkins, 18, shot and injured four people on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at Timberview High School following a brawl with one of the victims. His victims include 15-year-old Zacchaeus Selby, whom he had fought with before the shooting, and 25-year-old teacher Calvin Pettitt, who he shot in the back.
Simpkins fled the scene immediately after the shooting, but he later turned himself in. He was released on a $75,000 bond and is now charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Selby is currently in the hospital, fighting for his life. The 15-year-old was shot four times by Simpkins.
However, Simpkins’ family claimed the 18-year-old’s action was motivated by constant bullying that he had been subjected to by Selby and other students at the school. The family alleged that other students were jealous of his nice cars and expensive clothes. Family members added that Simpkins’ expensive lifestyle made him a target for other students. Selby’s family denies he was a bully.
A GoFundMe page was opened the day after the shooting to raise funds for Simpkins, claiming that he had gone through a traumatic experience and “needs counseling and therapy.” The GoFundMe page, which Dallas attorney Kim T. Cole set up, asked the public to help raise $25,000 to help Simpkins.
On the GoFundMe, Simpkins’ family claimed Selby recently threatened to kill Simpkins, and that made Simpkins “terrified and believed he would be murdered just like his father.”
However, GoFundMe took down Simpkins’ page, which had raised less than $150. A spokesman told DailyMail.com that they closed the account because it violated GoFundMe’s Terms of Service.
