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 The pair, whose identities were not made public, were both
10th-grade students at Independence High School in the Phoenix
suburb of Glendale, and a suicide note was recovered from the scene
of the shooting, according to a police statement.
After a report of gunfire at the school, the two girls' bodies were
found near the cafeteria under a covered patio, each having
sustained a single gunshot wound, and a weapon was discovered
nearby.
Although the incident remained under investigation, evidence from
the scene has led homicide detectives to determine that one of the
girls apparently killed the other before taking her own life, and
that no other students witnessed the shooting, police said.
"Information gathered by detectives reveals the two girls were very
close friends, appearing to also be in a relationship," and no other
suspects are being sought, the police statement said.
 "The investigation has led detectives to believe this incident was a
murder-suicide," it added.
Glendale police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said the school was
placed on lockdown after the shooting, and the street in front of
the campus was also shut down.
Students, meanwhile, posted updates on social media from their
classrooms as dozens of anxious parents, who were barred from the
campus, gathered in the parking lot of a nearby Wal-Mart store to
await their children.
Jasmine Molina, 15, was in English class when the lockdown was
declared.
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"I never thought it would happen here. This tells me that it could
happen anywhere, at any school, even if it's a good school," said
Molina, who was holding a stuffed bear her boyfriend had given her
that morning for Valentine's Day.
Ana Lisa Romero, whose son, Lalo, attends the school, said in a
Facebook message to Reuters, "I am going crazy just thinking that
could have been my son or nieces or nephews."
Public officials expressed condolences over the shooting.
"Our hearts remain with the students, educators and families of
Independence High School and the entire Glendale community," Arizona
Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement.
Independence High, which is just a couple miles outside Phoenix, has
about 2,000 students, school district representative Sara Clawson
said.
(Additional reporting by Eric Johnson in Los Angeles and Gina
Cherelus in New York,; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Steve Gorman;
Editing by Scott Malone, Bill Trott, Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa
Shumaker)
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