A Texas man is in jail after police say he attempted to kill his ex-girlfriend’s four teenage children.
Willie Simpson III, 32, was arrested on Friday after police charged him with three counts of aggravated assault against a family member. According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, Simpson visited the Timber Creek apartment complex in Houston on the evening of July 27 and saw his former girlfriend’s two teenage sons. The 16-year-old son informed Simpson that their mother was not home, prompting Simpson to call his ex.
According to the complaint, Simpson threatened to shoot his ex’s children unless she returned home.
According to the complaint, after Simpson ended the phone call with his ex-girlfriend, he threatened to shoot the 16- and 19-year-old boys if they did not return to their apartment. According to the 16-year-old boy who spoke with police, Simpson allegedly opened fire on the two boys as they fled. The 19-year-old was shot in the abdomen but didn’t realize it until he entered the apartment.
The brothers then dashed through the apartment, out onto the second-floor balcony, and jumped off to avoid Simpson.
However, the two boys were not the only children at home that day. Police also spoke with the woman’s 13-year-old daughter, who had returned to the apartment from the complex’s pool with her 12-year-old sister and a few friends shortly before the alleged gunfire began. The 13-year-old told officers that she and her sister saw Simpson near their apartment with a gun hanging from his pants pocket. The girls saw their two brothers leave the apartment as they went inside to change clothes.
According to the complaint, the 12-year-old claimed she heard gunshots. The 13-year-old went to see what was going on, while the younger girl went into the restroom. Simpson confronted the older girl and allegedly pointed a gun at her. The 13-year-old dashed into a closet and concealed herself beneath a pile of clothes.
Simpson looked into the closet but did not see the girl.
The 13-year-old told police that she was still hiding when she heard gunshots inside the house. By this time, police had arrived on the scene and discovered the 12-year-old in the bathroom with a gunshot wound to her abdomen.
Both the 19-year-old brother and 12-year-old sister were expected to survive their injuries after being taken to the hospital in critical condition. The boy’s spleen was removed as a result of his injuries, according to police.
When the mother arrived at the scene, she informed officers that she and Simpson had been dating but were no longer together. On the day of the alleged shooting, he reportedly sent her “numerous” text messages requesting to return to the apartment where he previously lived with her and the children. When she told him he couldn’t do so, he began calling her.
Simpson allegedly “demanded” that the woman return to the apartment “or else he would kill her kids.”
The woman told police that after he ended their phone call, she called one of her sons and heard him run away.
Simpson was apprehended by police on Friday and charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a family member, unlawful possession of a firearm, and burglary with the intent to murder. During his court appearance on Monday, his bond was set at $1,465,000. He is in custody at the Harris County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday.
