The suspect of a school shooting at a Texas high school in October is back behind bars after violating his bond.
An 18-year-old man is facing charges of three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting several people after fighting with a fellow student at Mansfield Timberview High School on October 6. The suspect was released the next day after posting bail.
The Texas teen returned to jail on Thursday, however, after a urinalysis test came back positive for a substance banned under his $25,000 bond, according to court records. The suspect is barred from using drugs or possessing alcohol under the terms of his bond agreement, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The teen was first arrested after fighting with another student at Timberview High School, then allegedly pulling a gun and shooting three people, including two students. The Star-Telegram reported:
[The suspect], who was a student at the school in Arlington, was in a classroom when another student, Zacchaeus Selby, 15, walked in and started to fight with [the suspect], witnesses said, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Video of the fight shows [the suspect] bent over as Selby struck him. Teachers and coaches went to the room to break up the fight, according to the affidavit.
As the adults tried to contain the fight, Selby “stopped being combative,” according to the affidavit. As Selby was being restrained, [the suspect] walked to his backpack, pulled out a handgun and shot Selby, according to the affidavit.
Teacher Calvin Pettitt, 25, also was shot. Another student was grazed by a bullet.
The suspect’s relatives have claimed that the teen was bullied and harassed at school on a daily basis. After his arrest, the suspect’s mother and grandmother put out a statement through a family spokesperson attesting to the teen’s character and claiming that he has been unfairly painted as a “menace to our society.”
“He has never been known to bother anyone and would do anything to help someone in need,” the statement continued.
“From the beginning of this school year, [he] has been bullied at school. He has been beaten, taunted, and harassed on a daily basis,” it said. “Recently he was ambushed by a group of young males outside of school, stripped of his clothing in front of a crowd of onlookers, and robbed of his money and possessions. He has been humiliated and stripped of his dignity on more than one occasion which led to him being fearful to go to school or even leave our home without an adult.”
Mansfield school district spokesman Donald Williams said that it was unclear if the shooting was connected to bullying.
“We’re going to continue to investigate this particular situation and the students that are involved will be dealt with in accordance to our Student Code of Conduct, and that’s the way that whole process is handled,” Williams said.