Police say a shooting at an Arizona high school on Friday was a murder suicide involving two girls who “were very close friends, appearing to also be in a relationship.”
Neither of the 15-year-old sophomores have been named by the Glendale Police Department. However, local media interviews with friends and family, as well as social media posts, indicate the girls are May Kieu and Dorothy Dutiel.
Friends vented and grieved on social media accounts belonging to both the girls, who were seen together in past photos. One post by Kieu showed her and Dutiel together with the caption, “My lover.”
Dutiel’s final post on Twitter was published Thursday, saying, “Good bye (:” A penultimate post the day before said, "Rejected af."
Good bye (:
Rejected af
At about 8 a.m. Friday morning, Glendale police responded to a 911 call at Independence High School, which has 2,000 students in the Phoenix suburb, and found the girls near the cafeteria area under a covered patio.
“The two teens had sustained single gunshot wounds and were declared deceased at the scene. A weapon was found near the two teens,” said police in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News. “The investigation has led detectives to believe this incident was a murder suicide.”
“Although the investigation is not complete,” the police statement added, “investigators working the case say evidence found at the scene leads them to believe that one female took the life of the other female before taking her own life. During the processing of the scene, a suicide note was located. Information gathered by detectives reveal the two girls were very close friends, appearing to also be in a relationship.”
Kieu’s sister, Phuong Kieu, created a GoFundMe drive to raise money for her sister’s funeral expenses.
"My sister May Kieu passed away at a high school shooting on Feb. 12th. I am raising money for my sister's funeral to help my family prepare May for her next journey," she wrote. "Please help what you can. May God bless you."
People in crisis can call the national suicide prevention hotline at (800) 273-8255. The Trevor Project also maintains a 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth at (866) 488-7386.