California Teen Dies After Being Struck With Metal Bottle in Alleged School Bullying Incident

A 12-year-old California girl has died after being hit by a metal water bottle at her school. The incident took place at Reseda Charter High School in Los Angeles when Khimberly Zavaleta tried to protect her sister from bullying.

According to the victim’s family, Zavaleta’s older sister was being bullied in the school hallway on February 17. At one point, a male student pushed her. When Zavaleta intervened to defend her sister, another 12-year-old student allegedly struck her in the head with a water bottle.

Zavaleta’s mother, Elma Chuquipa, recalled the incident in a statement to Eyewitness News and said, “At dismissal time, she [the elder sister] was in the school hallway when a tall boy came up to her ... he was pushing her, and my daughter told him, 'What's your problem with me? Let's go to the principal's office and talk about it,' but he ignored her.”

“My daughter [Zavaleta] goes and pulls her away, so they don't hit her sister, and that's when [she] gets hit in the head,” Chuquipa added. Zavaleta was rushed to the emergency room, and the doctors found she had suffered internal bleeding in her head.

She was later transferred to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, where she underwent a complicated surgery. Looking back at the horrific time, Chuquipa said, “The doctor said, ‘We're going to have to perform surgery. We're going to open this part of her skull so we can remove all the blood, clean her up, and so on-it's a six-hour surgery,’ the doctor tells me. ‘Save my daughter,’ I told the doctor.”

However, Zavaleta suffered a haemorrhage as major blood vessels in her brain ruptured. After fighting for her life for more than a week, she died at the hospital on February 25. “It was very painful for me to leave my daughter in the hospital with the hope of coming home. She always told me, ‘I will never leave you.’ When I was there, I said to her, ‘You told me you would never leave me,’” the mother said, expressing her grief.

The incident is now under investigation as a homicide. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is looking into the matter, but has refused to give out details publicly, citing that juveniles are involved in the case.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has released a statement expressing condolences over the tragedy and said it is cooperating with law enforcement. Zavaleta’s mother hopes the incident prompts schools to ensure a safer environment for students.

She also says she is now scared to send her older daughter to school. The family has started a GoFundMe to cover Zavaleta’s medical and funeral expenses. The campaign page describes her as someone who brought ‘a special light and joy’ to her family.

“She loved her family, music, volleyball, walks with her two beloved dogs, and had many dreams for the future,” the page reads. The campaign has so far raised $123,430 of the $130K target from over three thousand donors.