Author: Chloé Sémat
Date: 03/04/2026 at 10:15
Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa, a 12-year-old girl, was hit on the head with a metal bottle while intervening in a dispute between her younger sister and other students at Reseda Charder School in Los Angeles. She died from a brain hemorrhage a few days later on February 25th.
At the age of 12, she was only trying to protect her younger sister in the halls of her school. Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa was ultimately killed during this altercation, hit on the head with a metal bottle. A video, described by the American press including the New York Post, shows students from Reseda Charder School in Los Angeles pushing and arguing with each other a few minutes before the fatal blow on February 17th.
Shortly after the attack, Khimberly was urgently taken to the hospital, where doctors found a serious brain hemorrhage. Despite respiratory assistance, several examinations, and surgical interventions, the girl was placed in an artificial coma and was later found dead a few days later on February 25th.
As part of a homicide investigation, Los Angeles police confirmed the arrest of a minor on Thursday, April 2nd. At this stage, little information has been provided by the police. “This arrest represents a significant step towards justice, but it does not change the fundamental truth: this tragedy could have been entirely avoided,” said Khimberly’s family lawyer Robert Glassman in a statement relayed by CBS News.
A complaint filed against the Los Angeles Unified School District
“I am devastated. I have immense pain at the thought of never seeing my daughter again,” Elma Chuquipa, Khimberly’s mother, told NBC Los Angeles at the time of her death. The victim’s family claims that school officials were aware of the ongoing bullying against their youngest child but did not react. “I know that the principal and teachers are also parents, and nobody wants to lose a child this way,” Elma Chuquipa emphasized. A fundraiser has been launched on the GoFundMe platform to support the young girl’s relatives.
In mid-March, a complaint was filed by the family against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). “This was not an isolated incident; it was the foreseeable consequence of ongoing school bullying and a failure to protect these children,” their lawyer stated in a press release.
He added: “A child lost their life and a family is devastated. It is now imperative to ensure that this never happens again.” The LAUSD spokesperson stated that they take “the safety and well-being of their students” very seriously and are “cooperating” with law enforcement in the investigation.
