The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a homicide investigation after a 12-year-old student died while trying to protect her sister from an alleged bullying incident at Reseda High School, NBC Los Angeles confirmed Friday.
Khimberly Zavaleta’s family said the girl suffered a brain injury after she was hit in the head with a metal water bottle, thrown by another student.
After spending days in a coma and undergoing surgery, the girl died at a hospital early Wednesday morning, her mother told NBCLA.
“I’m devastated. I’m full of pain, thinking about how I will never see my daughter again,’ Elma Chuquipa, Khimberly’s mother, said in Spanish
A group of students held a protest at Reseda High School Friday in support of Khimberly.
“We’re all sad. Because she was the one who gave all the energy to us, because she was so happy. She was always happy. She was always smiling,” said Dayari Diaz, Khimberly’s friend who organized the protest with help from her mother.
“We want justice for her,” Dayari, also a student at the school, said. “The school is not doing anything.”
In response to the deadly incident, the LA Unified School District said, while it cannot share details due to confidentiality, it was “deeply saddened by the death of a Reseda High School student.”
“The District remains committed to providing support to students, staff, and families affected by this loss, including counseling services and additional resources on campus,” the LAUSD said in a statement.
