A child reportedly has been arrested for murder in connection with the death of a 12-year-old girl who was protecting her sister amid an alleged bullying incident at a Los Angeles school.
KCBS-TV said the Los Angeles Police Department did not provide many details about the individual arrested, stating only that the person is a minor arrested for murder. KNBC-TV said police noted the arrest Thursday.
‘On the afternoon of Feb. 17, Khimberly was trying to protect her sister. She stepped in when the school didn’t.’
The family of Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa, the girl who died, said she was struck in the head with a metal bottle at Reseda Charter High School on Feb. 17, KCBS reported.
Days after the incident, Khimberly was rushed to a hospital, where doctors discovered severe bleeding in her brain, KCBS said.
She spent days in a coma and underwent surgery, but Khimberly died at a hospital in late February, her mother told KNBC.
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The victim’s family said she was trying to protect her sister amid an alleged bullying incident, KNBC reported.
“I’m devastated. I’m full of pain, thinking about how I will never see my daughter again,” Elma Chuquipa, Khimberly’s mother, told KNBC in Spanish.
The victim’s family filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District in March, accusing the district of failing to protect students from bullying, KNBC reported.
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“On the afternoon of Feb. 17, Khimberly was trying to protect her sister. She stepped in when the school didn’t,” Robert Glassman, the family’s attorney, said during news conference last month, KNBC noted. “This tragedy really highlights and underscores the very real and very devastating consequences of unchecked bullying.”
What’s more, the family alleged that Khimberly’s sister had been bullied prior to the February incident, but the school “did not do anything,” KNBC added.
In addition, the family said that despite numerous attempts to get more information about what led to the February attack against Khimberly, the LAUSD refused to share details, KNBC reported.
The LAUSD said in a February statement that the incident “deeply saddened” administrators, KCBS noted.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the student’s family, friends, and the entire school community,” a district spokesperson said, according to KCBS. “The District takes the safety and well-being of our students very seriously. We are currently cooperating with law enforcement in connection with this incident.”
Police confirmed last month that a homicide investigation was under way following Khimberly’s death, KNBC said.
“This arrest is an important step toward accountability, but it does not change the bigger truth: this tragedy was entirely preventable,” Glassman wrote in a statement, according to KCBS.
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