The California Attorney General's Office announced it will not bring criminal charges against an LAPD officer involved in a 2021 shooting that resulted in the death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta at a North Hollywood Burlington store, as she tried on dresses for an upcoming celebration, Orellana Peralta was inadvertently killed by a stray bullet that pierced a dressing room wall, NBC Los Angeles reported.
On December 23, 2021, Valentina was in the store with her mother when police responded to a violent incident involving a man who had attacked people with a metal bike lock, Daniel Elena Lopez was shot and killed by police during the incident that also ended Valentina's life; after the Attorney General Rob Bonta's investigation, in a statement he expressed that "any loss of life is a tragedy, and my heart goes out especially to the family of Valentina Orellana Peralta" ABC7 reported.
Despite the tragic outcome, the Department of Justice concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the officer did not fire with the intent to defend himself and others, Bonta's office also recommended that the LAPD revise its communication protocols in "immediate action and rapid deployment" scenarios, such recommendations comes on the heels of intense scrutiny of police tactics in situations with potential for harm to bystanders CBS News reported.
Valentina, who attended High Tech Los Angeles Charter School and had dreams of becoming an engineer, succumbed to her injuries in her mother's arms, with her mother Soledad Peralta recalling the harrowing moments during a news conference days after the event "when the police finally came, they took me out of the dressing room and left my daughter laying there," the family's anguish palpable and their lawsuit against the city indicative of the quest for answers and accountability ABC7 detailed.
The LAPD came under fire for the incident, with the city Police Commission decreeing that the officer, William Jones, breached department policy; this ruling came after then-Chief Michel Moore said that the officer had "inaccurately assessed" the threat level, the officer had fired three shots, but only the initial one was deemed within policy, and while the physical threat was neutralized, the fallout of the incident lingers, prompting public outcry and demands for justice that surge even in the absence of criminal charges NBC Los Angeles reported.
