Police in Los Angeles have launched a homicide investigation following the death of a 12-year-old girl, who reportedly died after another student hit her in the head with a metal water bottle.
The incident occurred at Reseda High School earlier this month, though precise details of the circumstances that led to her injury have not been released. The girl was named as Khimberly on a GoFundMe page set up by her family, which has raised almost $90,000.
“As the baby of our family, she brought a special light and joy into our lives. She loved her family, music, volleyball, walks with her two beloved dogs, and had many dreams for the future, the page’s description read. “Her passing has left our family in unimaginable pain. No parents should ever have to endure the loss of their youngest child.”
The Independent has contacted the LAPD for further information on the incident, though the force confirmed that the death was being investigated as a homicide.
Khimberly was reportedly struck by the bottle while at school earlier this month and had afterward complained of headaches. Her family had taken her to see a doctor but they had not found anything to be wrong with her.
Last Saturday the youngster had attended a family gathering and played games before having a seizure later that night, according to her uncle Guy Gazit.
Gazit told The Los Angeles Times that his niece had been rushed to hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery after doctors found a severe brain bleed. Khimberly was in a coma for several days and died early on Wednesday morning, he said.
The family have claimed Khimberly suffered the injury as a result of a bullying episode and have said that the school needs to do more, including holding the student involved and the teachers that failed to intervene to be held accountable.
"I feel very bad, destroyed," her mother, Elma Chuquita, told CBS News in Spanish. "It's not easy to lose a child. It's not easy to see your child dying in a bed.
"What is happening, there are many schools, and I am not the only mother fighting for justice for her child," Chuquita said. "I know the principal and teachers are also parents, and no one would want to lose a child in this way."
The Independent has reached out to the Los Angeles Unified School District for comment on the matter.
“The Los Angeles Unified School District is deeply saddened by the death of a Reseda High School student,” the district said in a statement, adding that it was cooperating with police. “Our thoughts and condolences are with the student’s family, friends, and the entire school community.”
