A 12-year-old Los Angeles girl has died days after being struck in the head with a metal water bottle at school.

Khimberly Zavaleta was hit by a female classmate after stepping in to protect her sister from alleged bullying.

A girl hurled a metal water bottle at her in a hallway at Reseda High School on February 17, her family claimed.

She was taken to the emergency room for treatment and released the same day but 10 days later she suffered a brain hemorrhage and collapsed.

She was rushed to UCLA’s Children’s hospital, where she was put into an induced coma and underwent emergency surgery.

She died early Thursday morning after she went into heart failure, her uncle Guy Gazit said in a Facebook post.

The Los Angeles Police Department has since opened a homicide investigation and said no further information will be released because the case involves juveniles.

Authorities have not yet determined whether the initial water bottle incident is directly connected to the hemorrhage that caused her death.

‘God is touching the heart of many people who are coming to ask for justice and to support me. I feel happy that at some point there will be justice,’ her mother, Elma Chuquipa, told KTLA.

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Khimberly Zavaleta, 12, was hit by a female classmate who threw the bottle at her inside a hallway at Reseda High School, her family said

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She was treated in the emergency room and released the same day, but ten days later she suffered a brain hemorrhage and collapsed

Dayari Diaz, Khimberly’s friend and a student at the school, organized a protest at Reseda High School on Friday with help from her mother.

‘We’re all sad. Because she was the one who gave all the energy to us, because she was so happy. She was always happy. She was always smiling,’ Diaz told NBC Los Angeles.

‘We want justice for her. The school is not doing anything.’

Her family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for her medical bills and funeral expenses, which has since raised nearly $26,000 – just $4,000 shy of the fundraiser’s goal.

‘As the baby of our family, she brought a special light and joy into our lives,’ the description of the fundraiser created by her uncle read.

‘She loved her family, music, volleyball, walks with her two beloved dogs, and had many dreams for the future. Tragically, Khimberly’s life was cut short following a bullying incident at school.’

A spokesperson with the Los Angeles Unified School District issued a statement following the student’s death:

‘The Los Angeles Unified School District is deeply saddened by the death of a Reseda High School student.

‘Our thoughts and condolences are with the student’s family, friends, and the entire school community.

‘Out of respect for the family and to protect confidentiality, we cannot share details.

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She was rushed to UCLA’s Children’s hospital where she was put into an induced coma and underwent emergency surgery

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Her family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for her medical bills and funeral expenses

‘The District remains committed to providing support to students, staff, and families affected by this loss, including counseling services and additional resources on campus.

‘The District takes the safety and well-being of our students very seriously. We are currently cooperating with law enforcement in connection with this incident.’

A service will be held for Khimberly on March 22.

Reseda High is a charter school that educates students from grades 6-12.

The Daily Mail has reached out to LAPD for comment and Khimberly’s family.

As the homicide investigation into the tragic death of 12-year-old Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa continues, her grieving mother, Elma Chuquipa, has publicly expressed frustration over the lack of a complete timeline from authorities and the school. In recent statements, she indicated that the family believes additional evidence—specifically messages or communications shared among students on the morning of the February 15, 2026, incident—may hold crucial details about the events leading up to the fatal altercation at Reseda Charter High School.

people.com

Girl, 12, Dies 10 Days After Bully Allegedly Threw a Water Bottle at Her Head

Khimberly, a sixth-grader known for her protective nature and bright dreams of becoming a doctor, died on February 25, 2026, after emergency brain surgery at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. The incident began when she intervened to defend her older sister from alleged bullying in a school hallway. According to family accounts and police reports, another student struck Khimberly in the head with a metal water bottle, causing severe trauma that led to headaches, a delayed brain hemorrhage, induced coma, and ultimately her passing.

people.com

Girl, 12, Dies 10 Days After Bully Allegedly Threw a Water Bottle at Her Head

Elma Chuquipa has been vocal in media interviews, detailing the sequence of events and criticizing perceived failures by the school and medical system. In one ABC7 report, she described how Khimberly confronted a group bullying her sister, saying, “My daughter goes and pulls her away so they don’t hit her sister, and that’s when she gets hit in the head.” Despite initial ER visits where Khimberly was sent home amid complaints of severe headaches, her condition deteriorated rapidly, resulting in major blood vessel rupture in her brain.

wistv.com

12-year-old girl dies after being hit in the head with water bottle at school, reports say

The mother’s latest comments highlight ongoing uncertainty. She noted that while a 7-second mobile phone clip and other videos of the fight have surfaced, the family awaits a comprehensive reconstruction of the day’s events. Speculation centers on potential digital communications—such as texts, DMs, or group chats—among involved students that morning, which could indicate premeditation, prior threats, or coordinated bullying. These messages, if recovered from phones or school-monitored platforms, might explain why the altercation escalated and whether warnings were ignored.

abc7.com

Death of 12-year-old girl days after school altercation sparks homicide investigation in Reseda – ABC7 Los Angeles

LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, treating the case as a homicide due to the juvenile suspect’s involvement, has not publicly confirmed recovering such messages. However, forensic analysis of devices and social media is standard in such probes. Sources close to the investigation suggest digital forensics teams are examining student phones for relevant communications, especially given the hallway setting where bystanders likely captured and shared content instantly.

en.wikipedia.org

Reseda Charter High School – Wikipedia

Reseda Charter High School, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), initially handled the incident internally, suspending the alleged perpetrator and deeming it “resolved.” This decision has drawn sharp criticism from the family and community, who argue it downplayed the severity until Khimberly’s death prompted LAPD involvement. LAUSD has expressed condolences, cooperated with police, and provided counseling, but withheld details citing juvenile privacy.

Community outrage has manifested in protests, a memorial with flowers and signs demanding “Justice for Khimberly,” and a GoFundMe surpassing $20,000 for funeral and support costs. Students and parents have called for stricter anti-bullying policies, including bans on heavy metal water bottles and better monitoring of digital interactions.

Table: Updated Timeline of Events in Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa’s Case

Date
Event

February 15, 2026
Hallway altercation; Khimberly struck with metal water bottle while protecting sister. Videos and possible messages exchanged among students.

February 16–24, 2026
Khimberly reports severe headaches; ER visits result in discharge. School declares incident “resolved.”

February 25, 2026
Collapse from brain hemorrhage; emergency surgery; dies at 3:30 a.m. LAPD opens homicide probe.

Late February 2026
Family speaks out; memorial and protests at school. 7-second clip analyzed.

Early March 2026
Mother awaits full timeline; highlights potential student messages as key to understanding prelude to fight.

This table captures the progression, with the family’s push for digital evidence marking the latest development.

Broader context reveals persistent issues with school bullying in California, where thousands of incidents are reported yearly. Experts emphasize that digital trails—texts, social media—often reveal patterns missed in physical reviews. In similar cases, recovered messages have shifted narratives from isolated fights to targeted harassment.

Elma Chuquipa’s plea underscores a family’s desperate search for answers: “We need the full story so this doesn’t happen to another child.” As LAPD digs deeper, any discovered messages could lead to additional charges or revelations about school oversight.

The tragedy of Khimberly—a girl who loved volleyball, music, her dogs, and her family—continues to fuel demands for change. Resources like the National Bullying Prevention Center remain available for support, but for one family, the wait for truth persists amid unimaginable loss.