Independence High School Shooting: Suicide Note, Gun, and Lockdown

The Independence High School shooting was a murder-suicide on the morning of February 12, 2016, in which two 15-year-old sophomores, Dorothy Dutiel and May Kieu, died from gunshot wounds on the Glendale, Arizona campus. Police concluded that Dutiel shot Kieu, her girlfriend, and then herself with a Beretta handgun she had obtained the day before from a male classmate.¹

What Happened That Morning

Shortly before 8:00 a.m. on a Friday, gunshots were fired on the southeast side of the campus, near the cafeteria under a covered patio. Officers arrived within two minutes of the 911 call and found the two girls lying next to each other, each shot once. A handgun and a suicide note were recovered at the scene, and no one is believed to have witnessed the shooting itself.²

Glendale Police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said the incident was isolated. There was no active shooter threat and investigators did not look for other suspects.³

The Two Girls

Because both victims were minors, Glendale police declined to officially release their names. Family and later reporting identified them as Dorothy Dutiel and May Kieu, both 15 and in the tenth grade. A teacher at the school, Phuong Kieu, publicly identified her sister May as one of the victims.³

Police initially described the two as “very close friends” who “appeared to also be in a relationship.” The investigation confirmed they had been in a romantic relationship and had grown up together.² A public visitation for May Kieu was held on February 19 at Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary in Glendale.⁴

What the Suicide Note Said

First responders recovered handwritten notes from Dutiel’s pocket. Police said the pages worked as an apology, an explanation, and even instructions for emergency personnel.⁵ In a section Dutiel titled “+ biased explanations,” she wrote that the previous Saturday, Kieu had told her she “didn’t love me romantically anymore.” Dutiel added: “I was not okay. But we did not separate, because she told me there was a chance.” She called the week leading up to the shooting “the worst in my life.”⁶

A separate letter was addressed to first responders. In it, Dutiel identified the weapon as a Beretta handgun and listed three emergency contact numbers for her mother, father, and grandmother. She tried to shield the classmate who had given her the gun, writing that he was “under the absolute impression I needed it for self defense” and that she had “lied to receive this gun.” She also wrote that she was “of sane mind” and apologized to her parents, telling her mother, “I’m sorry that you just bought me new clothes.”⁷

Where the Gun Came From

Dutiel got the Beretta from a 15-year-old male classmate. He told police he had taken the gun from his family’s home without his parents’ knowledge or permission after Dutiel told him she needed it for protection.⁸ She received the weapon on February 11, the day before the shooting, and told him she would return it the next day.⁷

Glendale police recommended that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office consider filing a Class 6 felony charge against the classmate for “sale or gift of firearm to a minor.”⁵ Both families told police they did not want to prosecute the boy, and the decision on whether to formally file charges rested with the county attorney’s office.⁸

Lockdown and Parent Reunification

Independence High School, with more than 2,000 students, was placed on immediate lockdown. Law enforcement closed 75th Avenue between Bethany Home Road and Glendale Avenue and nearby streets.⁹ A school resource officer responded alongside the Glendale officers who reached the campus within two minutes of the call.¹⁰

Students were initially told not to use cell phones so rumors would not spread on social media. As calls from panicked parents overwhelmed the school’s phone lines, the principal authorized teachers to let students contact their families just before 9:00 a.m.¹⁰ Superintendent Brian Capistran said the district also notified parents by automated dialer, email blast, and social media.⁹ Parents were directed to a nearby Walmart parking lot, with buses ferrying them to and from campus. The road closure was lifted around 2:30 p.m.

Vigil, Counselors, and Return to Class

Counselors were available at Independence High School the next day, Saturday, February 13, and a community vigil was held that evening at 7:00 p.m.¹¹ Students returned to campus on Tuesday, February 16. Therapy dogs were brought in, and a memorial of candles, flowers, posters, and stuffed animals was set up on school grounds to honor Dutiel and Kieu.¹²

1
CBS News. Two Teen Girls Shot Dead at Glendale, Arizona Independence High School
2
Glendale Daily Planet. Update: Death Investigation of Two Teens at Independence High School
3
ABC15. Glendale Police Investigating Double Shooting at Independence High School
4
Arizona Republic. Visitation for Girl Shot at Independence High School
5
Arizona Republic. Glendale Police Submit Charge Against Teen Who Provided Gun to Independence High School Classmate
6
New York Daily News. Teen Who Killed Classmate and Then Took Her Own Life Wrote Suicide Note
7
Glendale Star. Independence Shooter’s Letter Contents Released
8
KTAR. Glendale Police Recommend Charge for Classmate Who Supplied Murder-Suicide Gun
9
WVLT. Two Shot at Arizona High School; No Active Shooter, Cops Say
10
KTVB. PD: Independence High School Shooting Was a Murder-Suicide
11
Fox 26 Houston. Police: Two Teen Girls Killed in Murder-Suicide at Glendale High School; Counselors on Staff Saturday
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Arizona Republic. Independence High School Shooting Photo Gallery