2 Girls Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide at Ariz. High School
The suspected murder suicide did not pose a threat to any other students on campus.
Two female students were found dead on a high school campus in Glendale, Arizona after people reported hearing gunshots Feb. 12.
Police are now calling the deaths a murder-suicide after a suicide note was located at the scene of the shooting.
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The two 15-year-old sophomores, Dorothy Dutiel and May Kieu, were discovered near the cafeteria area of Independence High School with single gunshot wounds just before 8 a.m. local time, according to kare11.com.
A weapon was recovered near the bodies, although police described the shootings as an isolated incident and no other students were in danger. On Feb. 16 police released a statement explaining how Dutiel, who is suspected to have been the shooter, obtained the gun. “The suspect approached a 15-year old classmate on Thursday, telling him she needed it for protection,” Sergeant David Vidaure, a Glendale police spokesman, wrote in the release. “She promised to return the gun on Friday. The classmate provided her a family-owned handgun, from his home, without the permission or knowledge of his parents.”
Although police have not said who the shooter was, Dutiel posted “Good bye : )” on her Twitter account hours before the shooting. Dutiel and Kieu were believed to have been in a relationship.
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Police reportedly responded to the scene two minutes after receiving an emergency call. At least one school resource officer stationed at the school also responded to the scene. Surveillance cameras at the school did not capture the incident.
The school went into lockdown mode when students and teachers heard gunshots. Students in the hallways at the time of the incident were rushed into classrooms.
After hearing the news, parents waited for their children at a nearby Walmart, with some expressing frustration at the pace of the process. Buses then took parents from the Walmart to the school after the lockdown was lifted. A crisis mobile team was also with parents at the Walmart.
Some nearby schools in the Glendale Elementary School District also went into lockdown as a “precautionary measure.”
In a statement Gov. Doug Ducey said, “As details of this morning’s tragic shooting continue to be released, our hearts remain with the students, educators and families of Independence High School and the entire Glendale community.”
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