The Glendale Police Department says a 15-year-old boy has died after an accidental shooting Tuesday night.
The incident happened near 67th Avenue and Beardsley Road around 8 p.m.
Police say they believe the teen was shot by another 15-year-old boy.
Glendale police told ABC15 they are working to determine if, indeed, the shooting was accidental.
"Verifying the accuracy of that statement with the limited information we have is difficult," said Sgt. Scott Waite with the Glendale Police Department. "That's what we have to work through, is finding out was there any malicious intent behind it? Or was it just truly an unfortunate and preventable incident?"
According to a spokeswoman for Deer Valley Unified School District, the victim was a student at Mountain Ridge High School.
Guidance counselors at the school spoke to students and released the name of the victim. Counselors, psychologists and the DVUSD crisis team spent Wednesday at Mountain Ridge providing support to students and staff.
Parents of students who shared a class with the victim received the following email Wednesday regarding the incident:
Dear Mountain Ridge Parents and Guardians,
I am sorry to inform you of the death of one of our students, who was a sophomore at Mountain Ridge High School. Out of respect for his family, we are unable to share any other details at this time.
Our guidance counselors shared this information with your student’s class today because your student shared a class with the deceased student. Counselors, psychologists, and our District crisis flight team spent the day at school providing support to students and staff. They will continue to provide support to anyone on our campus who needs it for the remainder of the week.
Students can be deeply affected by the loss of a peer, and we know that everyone processes grief differently. For those reasons, we will offer on-going support for students and staff. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the student’s family and friends.
Sincerely,
Shona Miranda
Principal
The school district has released the following statement:
The Deer Valley Unified School District and Mountain Ridge High School are mourning the loss of our student. Our deepest condolences go out to all family members, friends, and fellow students. We are providing on-going support for students and staff.
According to police, the 15-year-old teen who pulled the trigger is not in custody.
Meanwhile, neighbors note the shooting happened at perhaps the worst possible time.
"Christmas is right around the corner and I just feel so sorry for the family who just lost a kid a few days before Christmas," Ramirez said. "I feel remorse for all of them."
