'We may never know the answer': Family of Bryan mass shooting victim questions motive

Mycah Hatfield Image
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Bryan shooting victim was dad of 2 with another on the way
ABC13 is hearing for the first time from the sister of Timothy Smith, the Bryan cabinet business worker who lost his life in a mass shooting.

BRYAN, Texas (KTRK) -- The family of the man killed in a mass shooting in Bryan last Thursday fears they may never know why he was targeted.

Timothy Smith was among six shot at Kent Moore Cabinets by 27-year-old Larry Bollin, according to Bryan police.

"It felt like somebody had punched me," said Brittany Jackl, Smith's sister. "It was terrible. Literally took my breath away."

RELATED: Texas shooting suspect faces additional attempted murder charge

Already charged for murder, 27-year-old Larry Bollin faces an additional attempted murder charge. His bond totals $2.2 million.

Jackl heard about the shooting at her brother's workplace and said she scanned news headlines for answers. She got a call from her stepmom later that night letting her know her brother had been killed. She said she expected that he had been injured helping someone.

A court document establishing probable cause against Bollin details witness accounts of what happened. One person told police they saw Bollin empty a magazine of bullets on Smith using a black handgun, look at everyone, reload and start firing again.

RELATED: Bryan shooting witness said suspect 'spared his life'

Marc Barron said he was caught off guard by the shooting. He said it's not something anyone expected to happen. He realized what was going on when he came eye-to-eye with the suspect. Watch the video above, to hear what happened that left him "so shook."

"Unfortunately, I'm scared we may never know the answer to (why), but what could he have done?" Jackl asked. "Everybody that we have talked to said they were friendly and that there was no distaste toward each other. No one is quite sure why."

In the hours following the shooting, Bollin's family released a statement to ABC News saying he had been in an ongoing feud with a group of coworkers.

Jackl and other members of Smith's family are traveling from Florida to Bryan for the funeral that will be held on Friday.

She said she is at peace knowing her brother, a devout Christian, was not alone when he died and is not alone now.

Smith is described as a lover of life who worked hard to be where he was. He is a father of two sons and had a baby on the way with his wife.

A spokesperson for Bryan PD said one of the other victims is in critical but stable condition in the hospital. Two others remain stable in the hospital.

Bollin is also accused of shooting DPS Trooper Juan Tovar. The department anticipates releasing an update on Tovar's condition in the coming days.

The suspect is being held on a combined $3.2 million bond between Grimes and Brazos County. A date for his indictment has not been set.

Smith's funeral is Friday at 11 a.m. at the Antioch Community Church in Bryan and is open to the public.

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