Students and staffers at the Del Vallejo Middle School in San Bernardino returned to campus Monday following news of the fatal shooting of one of their newest teachers over the weekend.
Nancy Magaña, 24, was shot inside her truck near Delmann Heights Park after a Friday evening out with her 5-year-old son and boyfriend, a family member told KTLA.
San Bernardino police, who responded to the scene around 2 a.m. Saturday, have released few details about the circumstances that led to the shooting. They have not announced an arrest.
The victim had just landed her first full-time teaching position at Del Vallejo Middle School, where she taught math and coached volleyball, her sister, Maria Magaña said.
The 24-year-old mother had worked various jobs in local school teams while attending college and raising her child, the sister said.
“She gave everything she had to her son, and for this senseless act to take her away is heartbreaking,” Maria Magaña told KTLA on Sunday.
On Monday morning, Principal Toni Woods teared up recalling the young teacher.
“She was so excited,” Woods said. “She was here a couple weeks before school even started to set up her classroom… I told her, ‘You don’t need to spend your own money.’ But she did. She got things ready.”
Woods said Magaña immediately connected with her fellow educators, and that her ability to thrill students about math stood out.
“She had such a bright future ahead of her,” Woods said. “It just breaks all of our hearts.”
Hershey McChesney, interim vice principal at the school, echoed Woods’ admiration for Magaña.
“She made an impression just two weeks in,” he said. “Always a smile… Being a coach, [the students] looked up to her.”
Magaña had a calm demeanor that’s especially important with students in middle-school age, McChesney said.
“It’s just a huge loss for their family and this district and the city,” he added.
The school planned to offer grief counseling on campus.
