Police are investigating the 12-year-old’s death as a homicide involving juveniles.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A 12-year-old girl from Reseda died days after her family said she was struck in the head by a metal water bottle thrown by another student at her school, a case Los Angeles police are investigating as a homicide.
Khimberly Zavaleta, a sixth-grader at Reseda High School’s campus, died early Feb. 25 after suffering a brain injury that her family said began with a hallway altercation. The Los Angeles Police Department has not publicly described what led up to the injury, but confirmed its Robbery-Homicide Division is handling the investigation. The school community has responded with a growing memorial, a student-organized protest and calls from relatives and classmates for accountability.
The girl’s family said the injury happened in mid-February, when Khimberly stepped in during an alleged bullying incident and was hit in the head by a metal water bottle thrown by another student. In the days that followed, relatives said she complained of intense headaches. They said she was taken for medical care, sent home, and then later collapsed as her condition worsened. Doctors found bleeding in her brain, and she was rushed to a children’s hospital for emergency treatment, her family said.
As word spread through the San Fernando Valley campus, students and neighbors began leaving flowers, candles and handwritten notes outside the school. A small cluster of posters and stuffed animals grew into a larger display along the sidewalk near the entrance, with messages mourning a child described by relatives as cheerful and close to her family. “I’m devastated,” her mother, Elma Chuquipa, said in Spanish in an interview shared by local television stations. “I’m full of pain, thinking about how I will never see my daughter again.”
Police have released few details, citing the ages of those involved. The LAPD has said the case involves juveniles and that investigators will not provide additional information while the probe continues. It was not immediately clear whether any arrests had been made or whether a specific charge had been submitted for review. Detectives have not said whether they believe the bottle strike directly caused the fatal injury, but the department has categorized the case as a homicide investigation, a designation that can include deaths caused by another person’s actions even when intent is still being evaluated.
Family members say Khimberly’s decline was swift once she suffered a brain hemorrhage. A GoFundMe page created in her name said major blood vessels ruptured, leading to emergency brain surgery, an induced coma and life support before she died in the early morning hours. The fundraiser described her as “the baby of our family” and said she loved music, volleyball and spending time with the family’s two dogs. Relatives said she had talked about plans for the future, including school activities and travel, before her life was cut short.
The case has drawn sharp criticism from students and families who say bullying and fights have become too common and that adults on campus do not intervene quickly enough. Dayari Diaz, a friend of Khimberly’s who helped organize a student protest on Feb. 27, said classmates gathered because they did not want the death to fade into silence. “We’re all sad,” Diaz said. “She was always happy. She was always smiling.” Diaz and other students said they want answers about what happened in the hallway and what steps the school took before and after the injury.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, which oversees the school, said it could not share details “out of respect for the family and to protect confidentiality,” but called the death devastating for the campus. In a statement, a district spokesperson said administrators were “deeply saddened” and that counseling and additional support services would be available for students and staff. The district said it is cooperating with law enforcement. School officials did not publicly address questions about supervision, discipline records or whether there had been prior complaints involving the students connected to the case.
While investigators work behind the scenes, family members have said they are focused on both grieving and pushing for accountability. Khimberly’s uncle, Guy Gazit, said relatives want the people responsible, and anyone who failed to step in, to be held to account. Community members who stopped at the memorial described a mix of anger and sorrow, hugging students who arrived after classes and standing quietly as prayers were said in Spanish and English. Some classmates wrote notes promising they would keep her name visible.
Authorities have not announced a timeline for potential charges or a public briefing. Police said the investigation remains active, and the district said it would continue offering support resources on campus in the coming days. For now, the memorial outside Reseda High continues to grow as classmates return to school and investigators review what happened before the 12-year-old’s fatal collapse.
Author note: Last updated February 28, 2026.