Two 15-year-old girls who were believed to have been romantically involved were found shot dead on Friday at an Arizona high school in an apparent murder-suicide that initially triggered a security lockdown of the campus, police said.
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Police officers were on the scene in less than two minutes and found the bodies of the two students near the school’s cafeteria under a covered patio area.
Glendale Officer Tracey Breeden told reporters on Friday that both victims were 15 years old and were shot once.
During the processing of the scene, a suicide note was located, police said.
Officials also urged concerned parents and those anxious about the situation to contact the Crisis Response Network at 1-800-203-2273 (CARES).
“Be sensitive that the child is kind of taking all of the tragedy in through their body”, she said.
“This is not an active shooter situation, and we realized that once we got on the scene”, Breeden said.
In a statement Gov. Doug Ducey said, “As details of this morning’s tragic shooting continue to be released, our hearts remain with the students, educators and families of Independence High School and the entire Glendale community”. She says one of the deceased girls was in her history class, but she didn’t know the girl that well.
Police say two female students died in a shooting at a high school in a Phoenix suburb.
Air15 video showed several police and fire crews at the school surrounding what appeared to be a victim on campus.
Streets are closed to traffic in the residential area around the school.
Independence High School opened in 1977 and is part of the Glendale Union High School District.
Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers said his daughter attended IHS and he has faith in the safety of the school.
“She said, ‘I’m OK, ‘ so I of course started crying”, Rice said.
“First and foremost, acknowledge their feelings”, DeAnn Davies, director of Early Childhood Outreach for Summit Healthcare, said. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of these two girls.
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Police said they do not believe there are any other people of interest or suspects in the shooting.
