In a tragic incident that has left a community in mourning, a 12-year-old girl from Reseda, Los Angeles, has died following a fight at her school. Her mother has come forward to share the heartbreaking details of the event, emphasizing that her daughter was merely trying to defend her older sister from bullies.

The young girl, Khimberly Zavaleta, suffered a fatal brain injury after being struck in the head with a water bottle. Despite medical efforts, she passed away on Wednesday at a local hospital.

Speaking to ABC Los Angeles affiliate KABC, Khimberly’s mother, Elma Chuquipa, recounted the circumstances leading up to the incident. According to Chuquipa, on the day of the fight, Khimberly was courageously confronting a group of students who were allegedly targeting her sister.

“It happened during dismissal time. She was in the school hallway when a tall boy approached her, pushing her,” Chuquipa explained. Despite Khimberly’s attempt to de-escalate the situation by suggesting they speak with the principal, her plea was ignored. “She told him, ‘What’s your problem with me? Let’s go to the principal’s office and talk about it,’ but he paid her no attention.”

Chuquipa described how Khimberly was trying to protect her sister when the situation escalated. “My daughter went to pull her sister away, to stop them from hitting her, and that’s when Khimberly was hit in the head,” she said, recounting the moment when someone allegedly threw a water bottle at her daughter.

The family is left grappling with the devastating loss of Khimberly, whose brave actions were born out of love and protection for her sibling. The incident has sparked conversations around bullying and school safety, highlighting the urgent need for measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.

The fight was captured on video, but the footage does not show a water bottle being thrown.

“They were hitting her sister — my eldest daughter,” Chuquipa said. “In the video, you can see them pulling [Khimberly]. At one point, they hit her hard on the head, which led her to where she is now – in a morgue.”

The 12-year-old was taken to the emergency room, where initially, everything seemed fine, according to Chuquipa.

Days later, the mother said Khimberly suffered some complications.

“We took her to the emergency room, where she arrived with no vitals,” Chuquipa said. “My daughter was there, they tore her clothes, they gave her CPR, I was very scared, I cried a lot-I had this hope that she would get up from where she was.”

Chuquipa said doctors performed X-rays on Khimberly and found there was a lot of blood in her head.

She was intubated and was later transferred to another hospital.

“The doctor said, ‘We’re going to have to perform surgery,’” recalled the mother. “We’re going to open this part of her skull so we can remove all the blood, clean her up, and so on-it’s a six-hour surgery, the doctor tells me. ‘Save my daughter,’ I told the doctor.”

Chuquipa said doctors discussed a fourth surgery, but that they told her “there’s a 1% chance that your daughter will live or stay in the operating room.”

“As a mother, I felt so bad,” Chuquipa said. “We got together with my family … when we got together with my family, we agreed to do the surgery, which was a 1% chance, and I said, ‘There is hope’ … when we met with the doctors, they decided not to operate because my daughter’s brain was already dead.”

“It was very painful for me to leave my daughter in the hospital with the hope of coming home,” the mother said. “She always told me, ‘I will never leave you.’ When I was there, I said to her, ‘You told me you would never leave me.’”

The Los Angeles Police Department said the Robbery-Homicide Division, Valley Bureau Section, is investigating the case as a homicide, but that they won’t be releasing any more information because it involves juveniles.

Chuquipa said Khimberly – who was described as a sweet girl who was learning how to cook and loved to sing – was loved by many at the school.

She even wanted to become a doctor.

Chuquipa is now hoping for better safety measures at schools.

“Let’s hope there will be more safety for children,” the mother said. “I’m afraid to send my oldest daughter to school. I’m very afraid that something will happen to her. I already lost one daughter, and I don’t want to lose her too.”

The Los Angeles Unified School District released the following statement regarding the incident:

“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. 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.”

On Friday, a group of students held a protest at Reseda High School in support of Khimberly.

“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,” said the 12-year-old’s mother, Elma Chuquipa.

Meantime, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral and medical expenses.