Reseda, Los Angeles — Khimberly Zavaleta was a lively 12-year-old with big dreams. She loved singing, playing volleyball and walking her dogs, and she talked about becoming a doctor one day. Her family said she was also the kind of sister who would step in to protect her sibling when things got rough.
On a Tuesday afternoon in mid-February at Reseda Charter High School, Khimberly saw a group of students pushing and hitting her older sister in a busy hallway near dismissal. She walked into the fray to pull her sister away from the confrontation. That’s when another student allegedly threw a full metal water bottle that struck Khimberly in the back of the head. Nobody captured the exact moment of the throw on video, but the chaos was caught on cellphone footage from other angles.
Khimberly was rushed to a hospital emergency room where doctors examined her and, at first, believed she was stable. Her family brought her home, thinking she was on the mend. But a few days later she began complaining of severe headaches and collapsed. She was taken back to the hospital where tests showed bleeding in her brain and major blood vessels had ruptured. Doctors placed her in an induced coma and performed emergency surgery to relieve pressure in her skull.
Her condition was described as critical. Family members held onto hope as they stayed by her side, praying she would recover. But early on a Wednesday morning her heart stopped and she died. Her mother recalled the shock and pain of losing a daughter so suddenly and so senselessly.
Los Angeles police have opened a homicide investigation into her death, though authorities have released few details because the people involved are juveniles. School officials said they are cooperating with law enforcement and that counseling and support services are available for students.
At Reseda Charter High School, classmates gathered and protested in Khimberly’s memory. They held signs and called for justice and better safety measures on campus. Her friends described her as always smiling and full of energy. The grief in the community is deep, and her family is now urging schools to take bullying more seriously so no other family has to endure this kind of tragedy.
