FORT WORTH, Texas — The convicted shooter at Mansfield Timberview High School received his punishment on Monday, and the teacher he injured spoke out before the teenager headed to prison.
Timothy Simpkins was sentenced to 12 years in prison after the same jury found him guilty of attempted capital murder in the October 2021 shooting at Timberview.
Simpkins took the witness stand during his sentencing trial on Monday and became emotional during his testimony at the Tarrant County Courthouse in Fort Worth. His defense team decided to let him testify on his own behalf.
In October 2021, Simpkins shot and injured two students and a teacher.
Under cross-examination on Monday morning, Simpkins told the court he wanted the jury to sentence him to strict probation. Prosecutors asked jurors to give Simpkins the maximum punishment of life in prison.
"I am sorry for what I did," said Simpkins. "I am truly sorry. I understand what I did was wrong."
Simpkins ultimately learned his fate after jurors deliberated for several hours on Monday.
After Simpkins received his 12-year sentence, the teacher injured in the shooting, Calvin Pettit, spoke to the teenager in the courtroom before he headed to prison.
"Not a single person in this courtroom was happy to hear your sentence," Pettit said. "I prayed continuously that you don’t receive a life sentence in prison. Your life is valuable and you do deserve a second chance. But not right now."
"I sincerely appreciate your apology and I completely recognize how difficult it must be to admit that… But I’m not ready to accept your apology yet," the teacher continued. "For the pain and suffering you have inflicted upon the people I love, I’m not sure if I can forgive you."
During testimony last week, the English teacher told jurors that the shooting left him with post-traumatic stress and that he's now looking for a different career path from an educator.
"What I once hoped to be my lifelong career as an educator abruptly ended in a tragic and violent manner," Pettit told Simpkins.
After the sentencing, defense attorney Lesa Pamplin spoke with WFAA and shared her reaction to the jury's decision.
"Very pleased with it," Pamplin said. "I thought this case was overcharged, and I said that to the jury and I think they agreed."
Below is a recap of the three-day period of testimony before Simpkins was found guilty of attempted capital murder.
Timberview High School shooting trial background
Day 1
Simpkins' attorneys did not give an opening statement to the jury when the trial started on the morning of Monday, July 17. After prosecutors outlined their case during opening statements, they called their first witnesses from a long list of people who could possibly be called to testify in the case, which included Mrs. Altman, a Timberview High School English teacher.
Prosecutors used cellphone video as part of the evidence in the trial against Simpkins.
Altman told jurors that she decided to let student Zac Selby into the classroom despite him arriving late. She also shared that he had not been in class enough to complete a threat assessment evaluation on him. Altman told the court Selby immediately approached Simpkins in the classroom and that’s when the fight ensued, which eventually turned to shots being fired allegedly by Simpkins.
During the fight itself, Timberview coach Dean Boyd responded to Altman’s calls for help. When he arrived in her classroom, Boyd broke up the fight between Simpkins and Selby.
During Boyd's testimony, the assistant district attorney called him down from the witness stand to demonstrate for jurors the body language of Simpkins and then how he warned teachers and students.
Gunfire left Selby injured and one of their classmates grazed by a bullet.
Prosecutors also put Timberview English teacher Calvin Pettit on the stand to tell jurors about his gunshot wound. Pettit’s classroom is down the hallway from Altman. He also heard her calls for help.
One of the bullets struck Pettit, who went down immediately. He learned about his injury after regaining his composure.
Pettit also disclosed to the court that the shooting left him with post-traumatic stress, which has impacted his ability to enjoy his passion for teaching. Despite being rushed to the emergency room after the shooting and undergoing surgery, the bullet that struck him remains lodged in his shoulder for now.
Despite forgoing opening statements, Simpkins' attorneys made repeated objections to testimony from witnesses for the prosecution.
Monday’s testimony ended with statements from the FBI, which also responded to the shooting. The list of witnesses for the prosecution includes more than 40 local law enforcement personnel, 11 FBI personnel, and at least 40 civilians, which includes teachers and students from Timberview.
Day 2
On the second day of the trial, prosecutors showed jurors the dramatic video of the shooting inside Timberview. The video was difficult to watch and silenced the courtroom as it played.
According to prosecutors, the video shows Simpkins shooting Selby in a hallway after their fist fight.
Prosecution witnesses on day two included students and teachers like coach Jeremy Walker, who ran to an office where he found a frightened co-worker.
"I literally crawled on the floor, she was crying so I heard her. So, I just crawled to her and held hands and we cried together," Walker said.
Student Shaniya McNeely testified about getting grazed by a bullet while running for safety.
"When I was running, I felt a quick flash. It was just a really fast burn and that is when I stopped but a teacher kept telling me we have to go, we have to go," McNeely said.
The prosecution rested its case late Tuesday morning.
Before court resumed in the afternoon, Selby went before the judge. Defense attorneys accused Selby of intimidating a witness and making social posts.
Day 3
On the third day of the trial, the defense called one witness, a student who recorded the fight between Simpkins and Selby. Defense attorneys then rested their case.
The trial, however, hit an hours-long delay after defense attorneys challenged what deliberation instructions the judge should give the jury for the charges in this case.
The judge excluded the self-defense argument in the instructions, which means Simpkins' attorneys cannot claim self-defense nor mention it in their closing arguments.