Arizona High School Murder-Suicide: Shooter Obtained Gun From Classmate, Girls’ Identities Revealed Through Social Media Posts

Last week, two young girls who attended Independence High School in Glendale, Arizona, died as a part of what police officials are calling a murder-suicide. On Tuesday, February 16, Sergeant David Vidaure, a spokesman for the police department in Glendale, Arizona, revealed that the handgun used in the apparent murder-suicide was given to the shooter by a male classmate.

According to People, Sgt. Vidaure disclosed that the girl had asked a 15-year-old male classmate if she could borrow the handgun, saying that she needed it “for protection,” on Thursday, the eve of the tragic murder-suicide. She promised to return it to him the following day. Believing that he was helping a friend protect herself, the young boy obliged and brought the girl the weapon from his family’s home, Vidaure said.

“The classmate provided her a family-owned handgun, from his home, without the permission or knowledge of his parents.”

On Friday morning, armed with the borrowed gun, it is believed the shooter pulled the trigger on the other 15-year-old victim — who, after talking to numerous family and friends of both girls, detectives say was romantically involved with the shooter — and then turned the gun on herself. Their bodies were found underneath a covered patio near the school cafeteria. Both died from a single gunshot wound. The gun and a suicide note were discovered nearby. Police have not divulged the contents of the suicide note found at the scene of the Arizona murder-suicide, although rumors circulating among students and on social media is that the victim wanted to break off the romantic relationship with the shooter. The claims have not been substantiated, however.

This is creepy. Last tweet of #GlendaleShooting killer Dorothy Dutiel before suicide. "Good bye". #RIP May Kieu pic.twitter.com/3fExSpFAxv

— N.U.? (@Cuban_Writer1) February 13, 2016

The boy is being fully cooperative with officers from the Glendale, Arizona, police department, Vidaure added, although eventually his involvement in the murder-suicide will be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to see if any charges need to be laid. Police are not disclosing the names of the male student or the two female victims due to the fact that all three are minors.

Although police officials refuse to release the names of the girls who lost their lives during the tragic murder-suicide because of their ages, in this day of social media, it’s near impossible to keep information such as this a secret. This is especially true when it happens at a high school, where the girls were known to many classmates and friends. Dozens of classmates, friends, and family members have taken to social media sites such as Twitter to mourn the loss of these two young girls, identifying them by name, May Kieu and Dorothy Dutiel, reports the Phoenix News Times. The sister of May Kieu, the reported victim in the Arizona murder-suicide, has set up a GoFundMe page in order to help the family pay for funeral costs, essentially confirming the rumors that it was, in fact, Kieu and Dutiel involved in the shooting.

The sister of one of the Independence High shooting victims released pictures of 15 year old May Kieu #12News pic.twitter.com/jqOwQgzlk4

— Ivan Hernandez (@IvanHNews1) February 12, 2016

Phuong Kieu, a science teacher at the Glendale, Arizona, high school where the shooting took place, started the GoFundMe page four days ago as a means of helping to offset funeral costs for her family.

“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. Please help what you can. May God bless you.”

In the four days since the account was opened, the goal of $20,000 has almost been reached. Any additional funds, Phuong says, will be donated back to Independence High School in Glendale, Arizona, where the murder-suicide took place.

https://twitter.com/eemillyy__/status/699790047587889152

A candlelight vigil was held outside the school on Saturday night. On Tuesday, counsellors were brought in to help students cope with the loss when returning to school for the first time since the incident. The school also brought in service dogs from Hope Animal Crisis to help comfort students who are mourning the deaths of the two lives lost in Friday’s Arizona murder-suicide.

[Photo by Matt York/AP]