The Camelback Academy community in Phoenix is in mourning following the tragic death of Amanda Franco, a 21-year-old nursing assistant who was fatally shot at a party on March 3. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the incident, which resulted in 300 shell casings at the scene, also left a teenage boy injured. Phoenix Police are continuing their investigation, scavenging the area with metal detectors as they piece together what transpired.
Serving at Camelback Academy, where she once studied, Amanda Franco's death has left a significant void in a school community that is heavily intertwined with her family's presence. "Words can't even describe how proud I was of Amanda coming back and into the education field, but also desiring to have a career in health and just reaching the needs of the students in the health office," her friend and colleague Serena Villalobos, who has known Amanda since kindergarten, told FOX 10 Phoenix.
AZCentral reports that the loss of Franco has deeply impacted Camelback Academy, where her ties ran profoundly through the staff and students, with her mother, an aunt, and a cousin all working at the school, and her younger sister currently enrolled there. Karen Kordon, the school's executive director, recounted receiving the news of Franco's death, expressing the difficulty in finding words to address such an abrupt and painful event.
The school community has shown an outpouring of support for the Franco family, with students writing letters and making cards in her memory. A GoFundMe page has been set up by the family to cover funeral expenses; as of the latest update, it was halfway to its $16,000 goal, a clear sign of the love and esteem held for Amanda. "Amanda was a vibrant, kind, and loving young woman whose life was cut far too short. She was more than a daughter, sister, and friend — she was a light in the lives of everyone who knew her," a family statement read on the fundraising page.
While the investigation continues, any leads or videos of the night are being requested by the Phoenix Police in efforts to track down the perpetrators.
