Timberview HS shooting trial: Witnesses describe 'chaos' in school on first day of testimony

Suspect on trial for 3 counts of attempted murder

19-year-old Timothy Simpkins is facing three counts of attempted murder and other charges in connection to the shooting on Oct. 6, 2021.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The trial of the accused shooter in the 2021 shooting at Timberview High School got underway Monday morning.

19-year-old Timothy Simpkins is facing three counts of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawful carrying of a weapon in a prohibited place in connection to the shooting on Oct. 6, 2021.

Simpkins, who was dressed in a gray suit with his hair pulled back, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors say the Timberview school shooter followed the fellow student he targeted out of the classroom and into the hallway and kept shooting him.

Four people were hurt in the shooting, including two teachers and two students. 15-year-old Zaccheus Selby was critically injured but survived. Another student was grazed by a bullet, and a teacher was shot. A second teacher, who was pregnant, was injured as she was running away from the area.

Timberview HS Shooting Trial: Witness tearful on Day 1

The trial of Timothy Simpkins got underway on Monday. Simpkins is accused of shooting three people at Mansfield Timberview High School in 2021. Witnesses shared their stories of the fight leading up to the shooting in court.

"Chaos, chaos to the entire school. All of the teachers and all of the students went into lockdown," prosecutors said in their opening statements.

The defense did not present an opening statement.

Prosecutors say the shooting happened after Simpkins and another student got into a violent fight in a classroom.

Timberview HS Shooting Trial: Opening Argument

The prosecution calls for the jury to find Timothy Simpkins guilty of attempted murder. The prosecutors described the chaos throughout the school during the shooting.

A cell phone video taken by a student was played in court Monday showing Selby throwing Simpkins to the ground and then the sound of gunshots.

Teachers and coaches who broke up the fight testified on Monday.

"Then he reaches for it, he’s kind of bouncing around. And he grabs his gun out of the waistband. That’s when I said, ‘He’s got a gun run!’" said Dean Boyd, an English teacher and track coach.

Boyd was teaching nearby. He showed jurors how Simpkins reached for a gun and behaved after the student he was fighting with had badly beaten him and stomped on his head.

"They looked at each other, there weren’t any words spoken before the fight started. They knew they were going to fight," testified Boyd.

Pariesa Altman's classroom is where the fight began. She told jurors she remains in therapy and has not been able to return to teaching.

Timberview HS Shooting trial gets underway

The trial of Timothy Simpkins got underway in a Fort Worth courtroom on Monday. Simpkins, who is now 19, is accused of shooting three people at Timberview High School in 2021.

"So I went to push the panic button and the receptionist came on and I was trying to call for help," Altman said through tears. "At this point, they’re still fighting. I didn’t know what else to do, so I opened the door and just yelled for help."

Another teacher, Calvin Petit, who tried to assist says he saw Simpkins grab the gun from his bag after the two boys were separated. Petit was shot in the back running away.

The bullet is still lodged in his chest, too dangerous for doctors to remove.

Prosecutors say a 15-year-old girl was also struck when Simpkins fired into the hallway.

Timberview HS Shooting Trial: Teacher tears up on stand

Teacher Pariesa Altman shares her account of what happened leading up to the shooting. Altman has not taught since the day of the shooting.

Prosecutor Rose Anna Salinas claimed that Simpkins wanted the student he was fighting with, 15-year-old shooting victim Zaccheus Selby, dead.

"Timothy Simpkins, oh no, he’s not finished. He’s intent on murdering Zach," she said. "So although Zach is on the floor trying to crawl away, trying to make it to the stairwell, you will see a video of him pointing that gun at him very steadily shooting two more times. And then you’ll see video of him taking that weapon and leaves."

Last to take the stand Monday was FBI Special Agent Boyd Guger. A diagram of the scene displayed six shell casings from a 45-caliber handgun, three inside Mrs. Altman’s classroom and three outside the classroom.

Simpkins was offered a plea deal at the end of last week. We do not know what that plea deal entail, but Simpkins and his defense team declined the plea deal.

Court starts back up again Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.

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Simpkins bond was revoked months ago because of alleged drug use.

You can stream the trial live on FOX4News.com and the FOX 4 YouTube Channel.