Independence High School killing in Arizona ‘a murder-suicide’

Police announced that a suicide note was found at the scene of the shooting on Friday moing near the cafeteria area of Independence High School in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix.

They said the girls, both 15, each were shot once, were declared dead at the scene and a weapon was found near the bodies.

“Information gathered by detectives reveal the two girls were very close friends, appeared to also be in a relationship,” Glendale police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said in a statement Friday afteoon.

 

Investigators said the teenagers' bodies were found on a patio outside the school's cafeteria with a gun and a suicide note nearby

May (right) and Dorothy (left) were found with gunshot wounds outside the school's cafeteria shortly before 8am Friday

Although police have not yet released the names, one of the victims was named as May Kieu by her sister, who is also a teacher at the school.

Schoolteacher Phong Kieu told the local ABC station she was escorted from her classroom by one of the school’s vice principals after a student told her her sister had been shot.

She said: “That’s when they told me. My sister’s gone. They confirmed it and she’s not coming back.”

Anxious wait ... Parents wait to reunite with their children outside Independence High School. Picture: Matt York/APSource:AP

It is not yet clear whether Kieu was the victim or the perpetrator of the shooting. Ms Breeden said that it was believed nobody witnessed the shooting.

Both teens have been identified, but Ms Breeden said “their names will not be confirmed or released at this time by the police department due to their juvenile status.” Hours before the lockdown of the school was lifted, hundreds of worried parents crowded the parking lots of nearby discount and convenience stores.

Relief ... A mother and daughter reunite. Picture: Matt York/APSource:AP

One woman gnawed on her fingeails as she spoke on a mobile phone, while another had tears streaming down her face. Other parents chain-smoked as they waited for news.

Cheryl Rice said she went to a store after a friend called about the shooting and asked about Ms Rice’s 15-year-old daughter. But the girl called to say she was safe as Rice arrived at the store. The Glendale Union High School District alerted parents to the shooting through emails and automatic phone calls and released information on social media, Superintendent Brian Capistran said. Students typically are not allowed to use their mobile phones during lockdowns, but as calls from parents flooded the district, officials asked teachers to have students call family, Mr Capistran said.