Jury sides with LAPD in lawsuit over shooting that killed girl at Burlington coat store

"A Los Angeles police officer was not liable for the 2021 death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta when a bullet he fired while rushing to confront a suspect went through the wall of a North Hollywood store changing room where she was hiding, a jury decided Thursday."

"The Orellana-Peralta family filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court contending that the officer, William Jones, should have slowed down and deferred to other officers at the scene who had already determined that the suspect wasn't armed with a gun, as was first believed."

"Assistant City Atty. Christian Bojorquez argued in his closing statements to the jury that Jones went into the encounter believing that Daniel Elena-Lopez, who had already assaulted several people inside the Burlington coat store, was carrying a firearm. The information was later amended - Elena-Lopez turned out to be wielding only a bicycle lock - but attorneys said Jones didn't hear those radio broadcasts due to the chaotic nature of the incident."

"Video released by the Los Angeles Police Department showed that when Jones arrived at the scene, toting a high-powered rifle, he charged to the front of a phalanx of officers advancing toward the store's home goods section, then opened fire almost immediately upon encountering Elena-Lopez. One of the rounds that Jones fired "skipped off" a floor tile, a state attorney general's report said, and sailed into a fitting room where Valentina was hiding with her mother. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene."

A Los Angeles police officer was found not liable for the 2021 death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta. The officer, William Jones, fired a bullet while rushing to confront a suspect at a North Hollywood store. The bullet went through the wall of a changing room where Valentina was hiding with her mother. The family argued Jones should have slowed down and deferred to other officers who believed the suspect was not armed. Prosecutors said Jones believed the suspect was carrying a firearm, though later information showed he had only a bicycle lock. Jurors reviewed testimony and body camera videos and returned a 9-3 verdict for Jones.

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