Teen Girl Shoots Friend at Independence High School in Glendale

UPDATE 5 p.m.: One student shot another in an apparent murder-suicide, police confirmed. The deceased girls were found near the cafeteria area under a covered patio. A weapon and a suicide note were also found. Police also confirmed the girls were "close friends, appearing to also be in a relationship." No students are believed to have witnessed the shootings.

UPDATE February 15: Glendale school shooting victims revealed in tweets and photos


Two teenage girls were found shot to death at Glendale's Independence High School today in what police called an "isolated" incident.

Police said the shooting occurred about 9 a.m. and released few details, saying only that the bodies of the two 15-year-old girls were found near an administration building and that a gun was discovered near them. The girls' identifies weren't released by police.

Students and social media reports, however, said May Kieu was one victim and that a girl she'd been dating named Dorothy was the other.

Social media users pointed out that an Independence student named Dorothy tweeted mysteriously: "Good-bye (:"  

Rumors of a murder-suicide weren't confirmed by Glendale police, who announced that the neighborhood and school near 75th Avenue and Maryland was safe in a tweet alerting the public about the shooting.

Tragic as the incident itself was, it sparked fear of a mass shooting that alarmed many in the community. The campus quickly was locked down. The Glendale Unified High School District used school buses to take some parents to a spot near the campus to meet their children, who were released from school early. Students were prohibited from leaving the school until they made contact with a parent or guardian.

"It was scary," says Arianna Trujillo, a sophomore at Independence. She'd been on her way to class when two cops with their guns drawn appeared. "Get in the building!" a teacher yelled frantically at her and other students.

"I thought he was kidding," she says. Trujillo ducked into an art room with other students. She says one of the deceased girls was in her history class, but she didn't know the girl that well.

After the early release, Trujillo met her mom, Olga Gonzalez, at a nearby CVS Pharmacy. Gonzalez said she was frightened by the initial call by the school about the shooting saying "two girls" were involved.

Victor Flores was among many students leaving the school holding Valentine's Day gifts — an ironic flourish to a day of tragedy. Holding candy, a balloon, and a stuffed animal, Flores said he was between classes when he heard there was an "incident." He didn't hear any gunshots.

Flores went to his regular class, where students were using their phones to check news sites and find out what was going on. Then, his teacher gave the basic facts of the shooting and "tried to keep us calm. Finally, they let us call parents."

Flores borrowed a friend's phone and called his worried mom. His teacher also led the students in a discussion to try "to figure out why it happened."

Flores echoed a widely circulated rumor that the two girls had been dating and one wanted to break up with the other, "so she brought a gun to school and shot her."

Police were expected to release more details this afternoon — check this article for updates.