Arlington

Timberview High School Student in Arlington Brings Loaded Gun to Campus, Arrested

School to increase random wand searches and add officers to campus after a student caught with a loaded weapon

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A student at Mansfield's Timberview High School is facing criminal charges after bringing a loaded gun to school Wednesday, the school district says.

According to the Mansfield ISD, no injuries were reported and all students and staff are safe. No information has been released about the student or the weapon found.

According to a letter sent to parents by Principal Derrell Douglas, the gun was found in a student's backpack after a parent reached out to the district.

"We know this news is upsetting to our parents, students, and staff," Douglas said, adding that they will have an increased police presence on campus and additional random wand searches going forward. "Providing a safe learning environment for our students is a priority."

Several students told NBC 5 the incident was kept quiet by school officials. They said there was no lockdown or announcement made.

Timberview senior, Leslie Hassan, said he was at lunch when he received a text message from his mom.

โ€œIt was around eleven-something that my mom sent me a text. It said, 'Did you see this?'โ€ Hassan said. โ€œI didn't hear anything about it. I was just confused. When I got to my last-period class my teacher was talking about it and everyone was shocked.โ€

High school senior, Israel Fazia, said although he was shocked, he felt calm.

โ€œI'm not desensitized to it. It's just that, when it comes to this, I get comfort knowing that the people are quick. They caught the person, and nobody was hurt,โ€ Fazia said. โ€œWhen I went out for lunch, I didn't see anybody talking much about it or hear anybody much talking about it.โ€

Parent, Aubrey McDade Jr. said he has two freshmen that attend Timberview High School. He found out about the arrest through a text message from the school and an alert from his wife.

"It is definitely something that brings about a serious concern," McDade said. "I talk to my kids about stuff like this and what to look out forโ€ฆ I just wish the schools had a better policy of holding young men and women accountable to learn how to work through their friction."

Douglas also said counselors will be available for anyone who needs to talk.

"When communicating with your child about this incident, please take the opportunity to remind him or her that it is important to report any actual or suspected presence of any weapon," Douglas wrote in his letter. "We encourage anyone with concerns to give us a call or report them through our district website at,โ€ฏThis is Our House. MISD created this one-stop resource to make it easy for students and parents to let us know whatโ€™s going on."

Some parents including McDade said the school's response is not enough.

"I don't think it's enough. I think the schools as a whole, I think they have a really bad foundation," McDade said. "Their go-to is to react versus to be proactive. And I think that our kids nowadays are experiencing a whole bunch of stuff, too."

Students fear school shootings have become the norm.

"I feel sad, yeah," Hassan said. "Because it's not supposed to be happening. I feel like kids are just going to school to learn not to like be fighting. And now this is the second timeโ€ฆ You have to watch your back and stuff. And I don't think kids should be worrying about watching their back. It should be more about, 'Oh, I'm going to school to learn so I could focus on my career and stuff.' But that's just how life is nowadays."

The student, who has not been identified, is expected to face criminal charges in addition to being disciplined by the district.

Timberview High School is part of the Mansfield ISD but is within the city limits of Arlington. Neither the Arlington Police nor Mansfield ISD Police have released any statement about the incident or what charges the student will face.

On Oct. 6, 2021, four people were hurt after a student opened fire during a fight at the same high school. All the shooting victims are reportedly doing OK. Timothy Simpkins, the teenager accused in that shooting is now facing multiple attempted murder charges.

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