Flowers, balloons and signs are left at a makeshift memorial for the teenage girl who was killed by a police stray bullet at a Burlington coat factory in North Hollywood, California, December 27, 2021. | Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty
The family of a young teenage girl who was killed two days before Christmas as police in Los Angeles shot recklessly at a suspect in a department store where she was trying on a dress will be legally represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump as they seek justice for their loss.
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Crump and co-counsel Rahul Ravipudi announced on Monday that they had been retained by the family of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was reportedly killed in a Burlington Coat Factory dressing room.
Orellana-Peralta’s parents were expected to appear Tuesday morning alongside Crump and Ravipudi for a news conference at LAPD Headquarters.
Orellana-Peralta was with her mother in a dressing room at a Burlington Coat Factory location in North Hollywood when police descended on the store in search of a man who was accused of stalking customers and brutally assaulting them with a weapon. When at least one of the LAPD officers spotted the suspect, Daniel Elena Lopez, shots were fired in his direction, according to the police narrative.
Elena Lopez, 24, was fatally struck. As officers swept the building for any further threats, they came upon Orellana-Peralta and her mother in the dressing room, where they found the teenager had also been hit by at least one police bullet that was fired from an assault rifle, according to a press release from Crump’s office that was emailed to NewsOne.
The LAPD maintains it was a simple mistake. As of Tuesday morning, none of the officers involved in the shooting had been disciplined for their roles in the shooting.
“This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl’s life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family,” LAPD Chief Michel R. Moore said in a statement that was accompanied by an edited video from the scene. “My commitment is to conduct a thorough, complete and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led up to this tragedy and provide the family and public with as much information as possible. I have directed the release of the critical incident video by Monday, December 27th, which will include the 9-1-1 calls, radio transmissions, body worn video and any CCTV and other evidence gathered at this preliminary stage.”
It was not immediately clear whether officers violated any LAPD protocol in the shooting. However, one person on Twitter tweeted a graphic about the “4 rules of gun safety” and claimed that the officers involved “failed at the fourth rule”: to “KNOW your target and what is beyond it.”
Source: Ben Crump Representing Family Of Young Teen Killed In Reckless LAPD Shooting At Department Store
